Life in Technicolor
by Leonhart17
Summary: A/U Grey's universe. Carefree, kick-ass surgeon Arizona Robbins' life is changed when she picks up a gorgeous Latina in a bar and goes home with her. At least, that's where it starts...
1. Chapter 1

Arizona Robbins knew before she opened her eyes that she was naked. And by the feel of the cushions underneath her, naked on her couch. What the… Fuzzy memories started floating to the surface, a few snapping back into sharp focus when she opened her eyes to find a stunning (from behind at least) and equally naked woman on the floor beside her sofa. Olive skin over curves that were to die for, all topped off with seemingly endless waves of dark hair. And from what she was able to remember, freaking dynamite in bed. Not that they'd actually made it to the bed, judging by the state of her living room. Pillows were scattered around the floor as well as clothes and a few knick-knacks they'd managed to knock to the ground, books and candles and her mother's favorite lamp that she was glad to see wasn't broken.

A look at the clock over the mantle had her shooting up and looking for her clothes. She was late. And on her first day as an attending. Shit, shit, shit. Another look at the truly _luscious_ ass that belonged to the woman on the floor and she had to pause, take a moment. Being late was completely worth it. And last night, more of it coming back to her as the haze of the hangover waned and the headache started to set in, had been the perfect way to celebrate her promotion. Tequila had sure as hell done her a favor the night before.

Just as she found her shirt and pulled it over her shoulders, her mystery woman stirred, sitting up and stretching. And behold, her front was even better than her back. She smiled sleepily as she stretched, looking around for her clothing, one hand tousling her hair.

"Hey." Her voice was husky and positively the sexiest thing Arizona had ever heard. Except for that voice calling her name the night before. The memory of _that_ was going to keep her distracted all day.

"Hey…" Arizona smiled, finding the Latina's shirt on the back of the couch and tossing it to her. "Um…" She could remember exactly how this woman tasted, but her name was escaping her at the moment.

"Callie," the brunette provided, a completely charming smile on her lips.

That triggered a memory and Arizona grinned, buttoning up her shirt. "Calliope."

The pretty Latina grimaced, almost pouting. "I didn't tell you that…"

Arizona laughed, sniffing lightly as she smelled coffee brewing. Thank God for automatic timers. "Not until after the fourth shot, but you did tell me." A blush burned her cheeks and she bit her lip. "Said you wanted to hear me scream it." And had she ever… Her throat was almost sore from screaming it.

Callie's blush matched the blonde's immediately, though her smile became smug. "Oh yeah. That was a good idea I had, even four drinks in." She hummed in satisfaction, one eyebrow arching. "I've never heard my name like that before." Her tongue darted out to lick her lips unconsciously. "It was hot."

Hopping to her feet kept her from dive tackling Callie back onto the floor and ensuring that they both missed work - wherever Callie happened to work, that detail was escaping her as well at the moment. "Okay, well, I'm going to take a shower because I'm late to work and when I come back, you're going to be gone." She backpedaled blindly and tripped over a pair of jeans that had ended up at the base of the stairs.

Callie's mouth opened to say something but Arizona was already running up the stairs. The hardwood floor was quickly cold on her bare ass so she stood up, stretching both arms up toward the ceiling. She hadn't had much time to look around last night, entirely too wrapped up in (and later wrapped around) Arizona Robbins to notice the décor. Mildly put, it was a pastel explosion. So why was she smiling like an idiot? Pastel wasn't her style. Actual colors, contrast, were her style. Still, she was standing in her hookup's living room with a stupid smile on her face.

Finding her pants and panties, she hopped into them while heading toward the kitchen. A coffee pot was steaming on the counter and she helped herself to a cup, finding a row of cutesy, flowered travel mugs in the drying rack next to the sink. She rolled her eyes, but took one anyway. She knew where to return it to later. And she'd have an excuse to see the hot, hot, _super_ hot blonde again. Overhead, she could hear the shower going.

The house was disheveled but empty when Arizona came downstairs, crouching to peek through the rails of the banister to ensure she was alone. Her jacket from the night before was thrown over the back of the couch and she shrugged into it while rushing toward the kitchen for some coffee. She spotted the missing cup after a second and frowned. That one was her favorite. There was no time to miss it, though. And if she was scouting down her favorite mug, she'd have to see the gorgeous brunette again. Her second favorite cup would have to do - there was no time for anything else before work.

Pulling into her spot in the doctor's parking lot, the classic 50's T-bird parked next to her car got a moment's pause from her. Her brother had taught her to appreciate a classic automobile and the steel blue convertible was beautiful. The tiny corner of her mind that wasn't fully feeling her hangover wondered whose car it was. She'd have remembered seeing it in the lot before and no one she worked with had such good taste. Unfortunately, being late for rounds meant that she had no time to admire it. Pausing to appreciate an incredible naked ass was one thing, but a car was a risk she couldn't take. The Head of Pediatrics, her boss, was a real bastard when he wanted to be. Which was most of the time.

The thought spurred her into action, kicking out the wheel of her heelie sneakers and coasting down the sidewalk to the building. The automatic door track meant she had to hop, the thick rubber mat stopping her wheels entirely and she reluctantly snapped them back up. Dr. Stark hated her preference for the wheeled shoes anyways. Thankfully, she had already put on scrubs at home so she wouldn't have to make a detour to the attending's locker room to change.

Miraculously, she caught her day's residents at the nurses' station. "Karev, has Stark been here yet?"

"Nah, you're good, boss," he said, giving her a smirk. "Looks like someone had a good night." He handed over a stack of charts for her to distribute. Alex Karev was a resident two years behind her, his fifth year, and he'd been smart enough to choose her specialty. After some prompting from her, of course, and a promise to keep him off of Dr. Stark's service as much as she could. It was an easy promise to make - it was toss up which of them Stark hated more: Arizona or Alex. It seemed to vary day-to-day.

"Nice of you to join us, Dr. Robbins." A stern voice from behind her told her that today was her day to be in the shit lists.

"Awesome," she muttered under her breath as she turned, glad that she'd been bouncing around on all of the Peds cases for the last week and was familiar with all but the new arrivals. Drinking and truly amazing sex had taken priority over prep work last night. "Dr. Stark, good morning!" She forced a phony smile, though she was sure he didn't notice or care.

Robert Stark, Head of Pediatrics, was an uptight, by-the-book surgeon who did as little work as he could possibly get away with, delegating every task but surgery itself (and then only when the surgery was something that would boost his reputation, everything else was Arizona's to perform) to his residents and attendings. His eyes were disdainful as he surveyed her, mouth tightening as he noticed her shoes. "Did you have something more important to do this morning than your job?" he asked, every word out of his mouth sounding superior. It drove her crazy.

"No sir," Arizona answered dutifully, internally fuming. Excepting the hangover, she'd been having a good morning. That was blown to hell already. And she'd only been in the building five minutes.

"The ER paged. You've been requested to consult on an incoming trauma," he told her, irrepressibly haughty.

"I'll head that way," she answered him, sighing in relief when he turned and walked away without another word. "Dr. Karev, if you'll distribute the cases?"

He gave her a nod, smirking. "I got it." He offered her a lab coat that she recognized as her own, the monkey patch on the chest identifying it more easily than her name would have. "Go on."

Arizona swapped him the charts for her coat, giving him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Alex. You're awesome." She checked the time on her phone. "I'll try and be quick, but you know what needs to get done until I can get back up here."

"I got it," he repeated, shifting the pile of folders in his arms and turning his attention to the waiting residents. "You know what goes where. Get to work, people."

Arizona couldn't help smiling as she skated toward the elevator. Karev talked tough but he had a good heart. And he was great with the kids. He still had some issues dealing with the parents, but she was working with him. He was going to kick ass someday. Especially since he had her helping him out.

The elevator was empty as she rode down to the Emergency Room floor, Arizona grateful to find a bottle of aspirin in her lab coat pocket. If she wasn't a lesbian, she could kiss Alex sometimes. Tossing back four, she swallowed them dry, shaking her head furiously to try and clear it. In spite of the favor it had done her in the form of the curvy goddess she'd woken up to, tequila was not her friend at the moment.

She followed Owen Hunt's deep voice to Trauma Room 1. He waved her in with a nod of greeting, smiling as he noticed her new dark blue scrubs. "Congratulations on the promotion, Dr. Robbins. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Dr. Hunt. I heard we have a child incoming?" Tall, broad, bearded, and redheaded, Dr. Hunt was a trauma specialist who'd joined the staff at Seattle Grace after a long stint in the Army doing the exact same work, albeit with more gunshots and explosions. Superior tools and the fact that his mother lived across town hadn't been enough to keep him around until he'd met Cristina Yang, a resident in the same year as Alex Karev, who was training to be a Cardiothoracic surgeon under Owen's best friend, former Army buddy, and Seattle Grace's Head of Cardio, Teddy Altman. Unfortunately for all involved, Teddy also had feelings for Owen that he'd been blind to until after he'd already been seeing Christina.

Thinking of her one night stand the night before, Arizona couldn't help the grateful feeling in her chest that her life wasn't as complicated as some of her friend's lives.

"ETA five minutes if you want to meet the ambulance. Six year old girl fell out of a tree. The parents think she was about ten feet up when she slipped." Arizona grimaced in sympathy. She'd climbed a tree or two herself growing up with her brother and a fall from that height could be wicked.

"Have you paged Neuro or Ortho?"

He sent her an amused smile over the edge of the chart he was prepping. "Yes. Dr. Shepherd is in surgery so he'll check the head CT as soon as we have them and the new Ortho attending should be here any minute." Owen handed over the chart as he finished his notations. "She's a new hire from Miami, so if you could help her get the lay of the land, I know the Chief would appreciate it. He's sending her down straight from Human Resources."

"So much for a light first day," Arizona commented, eyes scanning the chart. "Thanks Owen. I'm on it."

"Thank you, Dr. Robbins."

There was a row of waiting interns at the sliding doors to the ambulance bay and Arizona slid into place on the end of the line, not paying attention beyond her coffee cup and the throbbing headache she was waiting to fade from behind her eyes.

"Cute cup," a familiar voice said from beside her, drawing Arizona's eyes.

"Thanks." The blonde blinked, startled, and did a quick double-take as she realized who was standing at her elbow. "You!" She looked around as though they were about to get caught at something. "What are you doing here?" Her gaze narrowed at the coffee mug in the other woman's hand. _Her_ coffee mug, as a matter of fact. "Besides returning my favorite cup?"

Callie just smirked, taking a long sip. "Thanks for the loan. And I'm a doctor here."

Her outfit, dark blue scrubs and lab coat with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows (sexy, her subconscious reminded her), sunk through Arizona's distracted mind and she gaped. "You're a doctor here? Since when?" She was sure she'd have noticed this woman around.

The brunette just shrugged, smirking sideways at her. "Since about half an hour ago. This case saved me from a day of paperwork." Arizona looked flabbergasted and Callie leaned over to whisper in her ear. "You were a little wasted. I don't blame you for not remembering." She rocked back on her heels, pleased smile on her lips. "You still remember my name though, right?"

"Calliope," Arizona whispered, blushing uncharacteristically. There was something about this woman that affected her. She'd written it off to an effect of the tequila, but she was stone sober now and she could still feel the tremor in her gut. "You're the new Ortho attending," she realized out loud. "I'm supposed to show you the ropes, Calliope."

Callie grimaced, looking around to see if anyone was listening. "Less of that around here, please," she requested. "Callie is fine. Only my dad calls me Calliope."

"That's a shame," Arizona said genuinely, both of them able to hear the ambulance sirens in the distance. "It's a beautiful name." She let her eyes rake the Latina's form. "It suits you."

Biting back another pleased smile, Callie nudged her with an elbow. "So, _anyway_… Last night was…"

"Last night was awesome," agreed Arizona, happily finishing off the statement for her.

Callie took another sip of her coffee, scuffing her sneaker along the concrete. "Any chance it could happen again? Say, Friday night?"

Arizona raised both eyebrows, a slow smile growing on her face, but before she could answer the ambulance squealed into the bay. "Saved by the siren," she teased, pushing the chart into Callie's chest as she backed toward the vehicle.

The little girl was crying as they wheeled her inside and it sobered both of their flirty moods. Just in time as far as Arizona was concerned. She was a damn good surgeon and a dedicated professional. Flirting with a fellow doctor at work, especially one she'd woken up with this morning, was not something she would let herself become known for. For one thing, it was sure to get back to Stark and drive his opinion of her even further down. But on the other hand, Calliope was _very _hot. And between her passion last night and her apparently continued interest, it seemed like she had a shot if she wanted it.

She wanted it very much.

Nothing could happen at work, though. They were both new attendings. They had to keep their professional lives professional.

Arizona forced herself to repeat the mantra as she went to work, though it became very difficult when Callie flashed her a sliver of a smile over the bed. She blinked and it was gone again, hidden behind a mask of stark professionalism.

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><p>I appreciate all the reads, but it really is easy to leave a review too! Thank you!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

By the time she was walking into Joe's Friday night, Callie was exhausted. She and Arizona hasn't passed out until after three (God, but that woman was energetic) and the hangover had meant she was dragging most of her first day. Finishing up her paperwork and a fresh caseload had burned up the last two days of the week. And Friday a dozen consults and reducing multiple hip dislocations had filled up a thoroughly tiring day.

She eyed the bar for a heartbeat before she bypassed it and went straight for the bathroom. The perpetual humidity and drizzle of her new habitat was wreaking havoc on her hair. And who knew who she might run into in this place. It seemed to be a popular hangout for the doctors from the hospital. There was one perky blonde surgeon she knew she wouldn't mind running into. Not that she was looking for her. Or fixing her hair on the off-chance that Arizona showed up. Nope. She definitely wasn't doing that.

Before she could reach the short hallway, she was stopped by a tall bearded man, graying hair not diminishing his undeniable attractiveness. The problem was the smug grin he wore that told her he knew exactly _how_ hot he was and expected a response to it. It was immediately unappealing.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," he commented. "I'm Mark Sloan. Head of Plastics."

Callie smirked. "Callie Torres, new Ortho attending. And I was actually here the other night. You must not have been paying attention."

He shook his head, smile not slipping. "I would have noticed a woman who looks like you."

She shrugged, still smirking. "You must not be as observant as you think you are because I was here." A laugh escaped. "And with as drunk as we were, I'd guess we got pretty loud." With that, she edged around him and continued toward the bathroom, smiling to herself in triumph. It was obvious that that guy had been aiming to get in her pants, and without the smugness she might have considered, but the memory of Arizona was still fresh and she couldn't find it in herself to be attracted to the new prospect.

The bathroom door was only closed for a few moments before it was swinging open again to allow Arizona Robbins entrance. "Hey." She bit her lip, scuffing the toe of her sneaker against the tile floor and looking completely adorable in a casual gray v-neck t-shirt and dark jeans over a pair of red Converse. Callie had to hold back a wanton moan at the sight of her. She looked positively delicious. "I saw Mark Sloan talking to you out there…"

Callie gave her a look in the bathroom mirror she was using to fix her hair. "Was I supposed to tell him I was meeting someone? Because I never heard back from you about tonight."

Arizona's expression slacked for a heartbeat before it tightened. "You're going out with Mark? Calliope…"

"No," the brunette interjected, thinking about rebuking Arizona for continuing to use her full name. Before she could speak though, she decided suddenly that she liked the sound of it on her lips. "I'm not going out with anyone." She finished what repairs she could make on her hair and turned, leaning her hips back against the edge of the sink, arms crossing her chest. "I know I'm new in town, but I thought I got pretty lucky the other night," they both smirked at the joke, "I met someone kind of amazing my first night in Seattle and I asked her out for tonight but she never said yes." She slumped her shoulders melodramatically, only exaggerating, not faking, her disappointment. "So I'm going to drink alone and go back to my apartment. I've got some unpacking left to do."

Arizona bit her lip, moving forward slowly. Callie didn't move, just waited with a knowing smirk on her lips. Pale hands on the sink boxed her in, the heat of Arizona's body radiating in the rapidly narrowing space between them. "How about we get a bottle of whatever you'd like and I'll help you unpack?" she suggested, lowering her voice unconsciously as she drew nearer. "I'm very type A. That's a handy trait to have around while unpacking."

Callie smiled, one hand reaching up to stroke two fingers through blonde curls and tucking a few stray pieces behind her ear. "You make it sound so tempting," she whispered.

"Hey, liquor was part of the offer too, remember?" Arizona reminded her, chuckling. Her head unconsciously leaned into the touch.

There was a hairsbreadth between their lips, both of them drawn in helplessly. "Do you really think we need it?" Callie breathed, Arizona capturing her lips in answer. It was a fair question. First kisses didn't feel like this, in her experience. Technically, it wasn't a first kiss, but sloppy, drunken passion wasn't _this._

This was electric, and raw, and lit something inside of her on fire.

They sure as hell didn't need any liquor.

Arizona let her go gradually, the kiss surprisingly brief and chaste for what they could both feel. "Should we get out of here?" she questioned in a soft voice.

Callie smiled. "I'm good with that." She started to push the blonde back, but Arizona's hands on her shoulders stopped her. "What? Did I-?"

"One thing," Arizona said, hesitating. "What is this? I mean, is it just sex, or…"

Brown eyes blinked in surprise. "What?" she asked again, laughing as she spoke. "Was it not you who hit on me the other night?" She grinned. "And did you not kick me out that morning?" Arizona's mouth pulled at the corners and she chewed on her bottom lip. "And when I asked you out the next morning at work, I believe _you_ were the one who didn't answer me."

"You can't put that one on me!" cried Arizona, snagging gratefully to her one opportunity to have the upper hand. "You suggested we recreate that night. So I want to know if that night was just sex, or if…"

Callie interrupted her with a kiss, both hands holding the blonde's face and pulling on her bottom lip with her own lips. Arizona adapted admirably, the pleasurable pressure of Callie's mouth on hers overwhelming her. The sex had been amazing, but if that was all there was to this, she was going to drink the entire bar because the kissing was freaking fantastic too. She was suddenly feeling very selfish. She wanted more than just hot, hot, _oh so hot_ sex with Callie.

"Let me take you to dinner," Callie breathed, tearing her mouth away as they both tried to catch their breath. "If we have sex after, great. If we don't, that sucks, but I'll keep trying."

"Trying to have sex with me?" Arizona teased, relaxing. "After I hypothetically said no? Really Calliope?" Her teasing smirk was delightful.

Callie corrected her, "Trying to take you out, moron." She rolled her eyes. "Even though you already know I'm amazing so there's really no good reason to turn me down. We're both attendings, so there's no rank issues at work. We're in different departments. And we can be professional in the hospital."

"Someone's being a little presumptuous, don't you think?" Arizona questioned with a dimpled smile. "What if the date doesn't go well? It could be awkward and we'd feel obligated to hide from each other. There're lots of floors, lots of places to hide."

Callie's head shook from side to side in denial. "I guess it could, but I kind of doubt it." She kissed Arizona again, tongue slipping forward to ask for entrance. The Peds surgeon let her in, her own tongue pressing back against hers eagerly. The taste of her was captivating, addicting, and she wanted more of it. She wanted all of it.

Arizona looked dazed when the kiss ended, drawing back and swallowing hard. "So far, so good," she acknowledged breathlessly. "You said something about dinner, I think…"

Callie nodded, smiling. "Shall we, then?"

Arizona's blonde curls were mussed in a perfectly sexy way as they exited the restroom and Callie felt a burst of pride. It only grew when she caught Mark Sloan's eye, the tall man turning on his stool to track them as they left the bar together, his mouth hanging open.

"So, where to?" Arizona asked, head ducking as they emerged back into the light drizzle that seemed to constantly coat Seattle. She pulled her jacket over her shoulders and slid her arms into the sleeves.

Callie laughed, one hand shielding her eyes from the rain. "I moved to town the other day. I don't know anywhere around here. You pick."

"Well, where's your apartment? That should narrow down a neighborhood at least."

Laughing again, Callie pointed down the block. "Over there."

"What, down that way?"

"No, that big brick one down the block. I'm on the fifth floor."

Comically, blue eyes widened. "Really? You live across the street from the hospital? Well, if you just want to go home…"

"I asked you to dinner, Arizona," Callie interrupted her rambling to remind her. "I'd offer to cook for you but my pots and pans are still boxed up somewhere in the mess and I'm too hungry to look for them tonight."

Arizona took her wrist and tugged her in that direction. "If you live right there we could just order pizza. Or stop by a convenience store and pick up stuff for sandwiches."

Callie laughed, eyebrows rising as she let herself be pulled along. "Now who's being presumptuous? If you want to come home with me, you can just say it. No need for the attempt at subtlety, Arizona." The blonde sent her a look over her shoulder and started to steer them toward the convenience store. "Oh, actually, can we call for a pizza? My treat. I don't really love sandwiches."

"Perfect. Me neither." Arizona shifted her grip to hold Callie's hand, the other hand digging her phone out of her purse. "Hi, I'd like an order for delivery."

Callie signaled her apartment number with her free hand as they entered the building, Arizona nodding toward the stairs. Callie felt a hand slap lightly against her butt and she sent the grinning Arizona a surprised but pleased look. "Excuse me?" she whispered, smirking.

"You've got a great ass, Calliope," Arizona sent back, shrugging unapologetically. "I can't help myself."

"You better not still be on the phone. If I get stalked by a pizza guy, I'm going to be so pissed," Callie stated warningly.

Arizona laughed, sliding the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. "Don't worry. You can hide out at my house. I'll keep the stalkers away."

They exchanged grins and both unconsciously picked up their pace up the stairs, eager to get to the fifth floor. "Now, you'll just have to pardon the mess. I've pretty much only even started to unpack the bedroom."

"I'd be happy to help you with that," Arizona countered, bobbing her eyebrows facetiously.

Callie shot her a knowing smirk as she unlocked the door, feeling Arizona's hand slip into the back pocket of her jeans. "You really can't help yourself, can you?"

Arizona shook her head, other arm curling around Callie's waist from behind. "I spent a few minutes admiring it the other morning too. I was late to work, you know." She scoffed. "And scoping a hot girl's ass is not an excuse that my boss would accept."

Callie laughed, drawing the blonde into the apartment with her. "Are you sure? Maybe he'd have been jealous."

Arizona leaned in to kiss the side of her neck, joining the Latina in laughing. "Stark pictures your ass and it's the last thought he'll ever have." Possessive Arizona was kind of cute, Callie decided silently. And she didn't really mind Arizona being protective of her butt. It was more hot than cute, though. "Although, he would die very happy. I mean, probably the happiest that bitter little toad has ever been."

"So, you're either a fan of my butt or you're really not a fan of your boss," teased Callie.

"Oh, it's both," Arizona affirmed earnestly, face dropping against a tanned neck to kiss her again, gratified when the move earned her a moan from Callie. Her lips moved to her ear. "I'm a fan of everything you've got," she whispered.

Callie reached behind her, hooking a hand in the blonde's belt and hauling her bodily around so they were face to face, wrapping the blonde up in her arms. "Keep talking like that in my ear and you're the only thing that's going to get done around here," she gruffly warned her.

Arizona's smirk was pleased, proud. "You promise?" Callie's expression was more than promising and she hummed in satisfaction. "I can be good if you can, Calliope." Blue eyes danced around the room crowded with boxes, only about half even opened. "And you really do need some help in here."

Callie sighed, reluctantly loosening her grip on Arizona. "I did promise you dinner and the possibility of turning me down for sex."

"So if my pants come off before the pizza even gets here, what does that make me?" Arizona teasingly wondered, bobbing her eyebrows.

"Sexy," answered Callie simply, grinning as she let the blonde go.

Arizona hauled her back in for a kiss, smiling against her lips. "And, for the record, turning you down? _So _not going to happen, Calliope." She hopped on her toes excitedly. "But let's get started on some of these boxes so we don't get interrupted by the pizza man with our pants off." She turned, smirking over her shoulder. "When I get you naked again, I want to take my time."

Callie let her head rock back on her neck, sighing and praying for restraint. One night of lustful passion and the barest minimum of what could be constituted as a date, and she couldn't keep herself in control around Arizona. Whatever the hell was going on with her though, she couldn't say she minded it. It had been a long time since she'd felt like this about anyone, especially someone she'd just met. She brutally repressed memories of what she'd left behind in Miami. One night and day and she knew that she'd made the right decision leaving Florida.

"So, where should we start? Anywhere in particular?"

Arizona's voice snapped her back to the present and Callie shrugged. "I think most of the kitchen boxes are in the kitchen," she offered.

Blue eyes rolled and Arizona dragged a hand across the top of Callie's chest as she crossed the room in front of her, catching her hand and pulling her along. "You're a wealth of information. Really, so helpful." She released Callie to slice the tape on the top box of a stack standing next to the sink. "So if I open this one I might find pots and pans?"

"Or possibly underwear," Callie commented, distracted riffling through an open box on the counter. "I wasn't really diligent with the labeling, as you can see," Callie hedged, shrugging and digging out a coffeemaker. "See? This one is kitchen stuff."

"Well, here's hoping this one's underwear!" Arizona's face fell comically when she opened the box to find bubble wrapped plates. "Shoot! So the underwear boxes might be where, exactly? The living room, the bedroom? I'm happy to look wherever." She sent Callie a cheerful blue-eyed wink.

The Latina answered her with a smirk. "Very dedicated of you." Anything further was delayed by a knock on the door. "I hope you're hungry." Stepping backward toward the door, she felt a shiver slide down her spine at the look Arizona sent her in response.

"I really am," the blonde said hoarsely. Clearing her throat, she laughed when Callie shook her ass at her as she leaned over to pick up her purse.

They ate their pizza straight from the box, unpacking and chatting while they ate. Callie was from Miami, born and raised, Arizona was from a military family and had lived all over the country. Callie enjoyed reading in her downtime while Arizona had a fondness for video games inherited from her kids at work. They both enjoyed drinking and dancing. Callie was a dedicated football fan, Arizona didn't watch sports. In one of her boxes Arizona found a radio alarm clock and tuned it to a local station that played a mix of everything, letting it serenade them while they worked.

When a song with a good beat started, Callie couldn't resist dancing as she sorted through a box of china. Arizona was standing barefooted on the counter, waiting for Callie to hand her up the plates and glasses so she could put them away on the top shelf. They'd been working for a few hours and had almost finished the kitchen but there were still boxes everywhere. Watching Callie shuffle from heel to toe and shimmy while she pulled plates out, she couldn't help the dimples appearing on her cheeks. "You're beautiful," she said when Callie finally noticed her watching.

The brunette handed up a short stack of plates, not stopping her dancing. "The view from down here is pretty great too." She offered a hand. "That's the last of the plates. Ready to come down?" Callie's arm caught her and she slid down the Latina's body, the tile of the floor cold on her toes.

"Hey," Arizona whispered as soon as they were face to face.

Callie echoed her greeting. "Thanks for all the help. This has to be the lamest first date ever, huh? I promise I can do better if you give me another shot."

Arizona's arms curled around Callie's shoulders, fingers playing with the back of her hair. "You don't need another shot." She nudged her nose against Callie's, tilting her head to kiss her softly. "You're doing great with this one."

Their lips reconnected and Callie tightened her arms around the blonde's waist, hauling her body in tighter against her own. Arizona's fingers curled into dark hair, holding her head close as she let her bottom jaw drop, Callie's tongue immediately taking up the invitation. The kiss grew passionate and hands wandered as they fell further into each other. A few short days and she was completely crazy for this woman. Callie gripped a tight butt in both hands and Arizona responded by hopping up into the grip and wrapping her legs around the Latina's waist.

The kiss broke as Arizona tore her lips away, both of them breathing hard. "What?" Callie questioned, squeezing the thighs in her grip as she supported the blonde. "What's wrong?"

Arizona smiled breathlessly, shaking her head. "I think we're done in here." It was a joke. The kitchen was in decent shape, but the living room was still a maze of mostly packed boxes. Callie nodded agreement anyway. "Should we see what we can do in the bedroom?"

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><p>Wow, so, thank you all for the response for the first chapter! I'd love to hear what you think of this one!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3 pt 1

Arizona was gone when Callie turned over and she dimly remembered the beeping of a pager earlier in the morning. At least she hadn't been left because the sex had been bad. Stretching as she sat up, she grinned to herself. The sex had been outstanding. Again. And energetic as hell. Callie didn't know what Arizona's middle name was, they hadn't gotten that deep into their getting to know you small talk, but she was going to guess it was stamina.

Then she caught the scent of coffee and she sighed in appreciation. Arizona Stamina Robbins might be the perfect woman. Smart, funny, charming, gorgeous, absolutely amazing in bed, _and_ she made coffee for the morning after? She might need to marry this woman.

On the counter she found the travel mug she'd taken from Arizona's kitchen, a sticky note stuck on the lid bearing Arizona's handwriting. '_We haven't unpacked yours yet, so you can keep __borrowing__ mine. Hope I see you around the hospital today. And not just because you have my favorite coffee mug. Last night was awesome._'

Scrounging up clothes from a still packed box in the corner of her bedroom, Callie dressed and crossed the street to the hospital, sipping coffee from Arizona's mug for the second day in a week. Even taking the completely cutesy mug into consideration, it was a habit she wouldn't mind getting into. In her locker she found a muffin from the cart on the first floor. Three guesses where _that_ came from, she reflected with a smirk. She still ate it, though. She'd never gone out with someone so…cute before. If going out was the right term for what they were doing. Two nights of sex and some unpacking… She was counting it as a point toward a date that they hadn't been drunk the night before. It had just been lust.

One of the residents who showed up for her rounds, a Dr. Karev, gave her a knowing smirk as they walked toward her patient's room. "Do I know you?" she questioned. "Because you're smirking at me like you know something, but I'm pretty sure I've never met you."

Alex chuckled, hands tucked in the pocket of his lab coat. "I think you know my attending."

Callie arched an eyebrow curiously, surveying him. "You're in Peds?"

"You're not denying you know Dr. Robbins?"

"Is there a reason I should?" Callie asked, frowning. "We went out." Her expression shifted to a grin as she remembered the untruth of that statement. "We meant to go out anyway. We stayed in, actually." He quick-stepped to get in front of her long stride, stopping her in her tracks and the interns filed past them when he pointed them toward the patient room. "Okay, what's your problem? I just moved here. She was helping me unpack."

"Dr. Robbins is my boss, but she's my friend too. She's stuck her neck out for me and she's taught me a lot. She's the only one who's ever gone to bat for me." Alex's arms crossed over his chest, his expression serious. "We watch each others backs. When she meets someone, I look out for her. And she likes you. So don't screw it up."

Callie blinked. "You do know I'm an attending too, don't you? First week or not, I outrank you, Dr. Karev."

Alex nodded, still serious. "I know. We're just talking, that's all." Turning on his heel, he preceded her into the patient's room, the little girl she'd worked with Arizona to heal her first day. "Hey, boss," Karev greeted Arizona with a grin.

"Dr. Karev," the blonde greeted him with an amused tone, eyes not lifting from the chart. "Do you want to present, or…" she looked up, smiling when she noticed Callie standing behind him, "Dr. Torres," she said warmly. "Good morning."

Callie rolled her eyes, smiling back at her helplessly. God, but she was adorable. "Morning." She sipped her coffee from Arizona's mug pointedly and the blonde's blue eyes narrowed at her. "And how are you feeling today, Haley?"

"My leg hurts, Dr. Torres!" the little girl complained.

Nodding sympathetically, Callie said, "I know, sweetie. I'm sorry." Her gaze shifted to Haley's mother. "But the bone was reset cleanly and she'll be back on her feet, with crutches, in a few days."

"Alex, if you'd outline the rest of the case for Mrs. Fairbanks," Arizona spoke up, letting her student take the lead. He did just that and quizzed the interns about possible treatments and various possible complications. "We'll keep an eye on everything, of course, but Dr. Torres performed a beautiful surgery and everything went very smoothly so nothing we've just outlined is very likely. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

When they were finished, Karev left to prep for his next surgery, his interns trailing after him and leaving Arizona and Callie to themselves.

"Thanks for the coffee this morning," Callie offered as they walked through the Peds wing, both of them the picture of professionalism. "You didn't have to do that."

Arizona's eyes rolled up toward the ceiling as though she was thinking hard. "I seem to remember finding fresh coffee in my kitchen after you left me naked and alone," she mused, her tone decidedly unprofessional, despite her appearance. "Fair's fair, Dr. Torres."

"Oh, really, Dr. Robbins?" Callie sent back in a hissing whisper, looking around to see if there was anyone close enough to hear them. "Because you're the one who kicked me out to leave you naked and alone!" she reminded her, keeping her voice down as Arizona pushed the button for the elevator, tucking both hands behind her back as she waited. Callie shot her eyes sideways at the politely smiling blonde. "Do you think we're ever going to wake up _together_ after a date?"

"I certainly hope so," Arizona agreed earnestly. "And speaking of a date…" The elevator doors opened and she walked on, Callie following a half-step behind her. The doors slid closed behind them and Arizona dropped one hand to her side to bump against Callie's free hand. "I checked the schedule in the Chief's office and you're off on Tuesday."

Callie raised an expressive eyebrow. "And?"

"And I'm off on Tuesday," Arizona continued.

"And?"

The blonde scoffed in frustration. "Are you really going to drag it out of me like this?"

Callie just sipped her coffee. "I think so, yes. It's fun."

Arizona abruptly snatched the coffee mug from her hand. "Be that way. This is mine!" She chugged the last of the coffee but coughed, surprised by the heat of it that burned her mouth. "Hot! That's hot!" she wheezed, choking.

Callie took the cup back from her, shaking her head. "You forgot that I live across the street and I just got here. There's no time for my coffee to get cold." She leaned over to look into Arizona's watering eyes. "Are you okay?" Her concern was genuine, even if there was an amused smile on her lips. The blonde nodded, wiping her streaked face. "Okay, good. Could I see you on Tuesday? Maybe breakfast? Or brunch if you like to sleep in…" She got another nod, Arizona choking out an affirmative. "Great."

The elevator slowed to stop and Callie took a step toward the doors only to have Arizona grab her wrist. "Lunch?"

"On Tuesday? Sure. Do you want to call me or I could pick you up…?"

A low blonde ponytail swung from side to side. "No, not Tuesday. Today. Lunch today. Will you eat with me?"

Blinking in surprise and understanding, a smile broke out on her face. "Oh. Oh yes! That would be great. It won't hurt your rep to each lunch with the new kid?"

Arizona rolled her eyes, scoffing hoarsely. "The insanely hot new kid, you mean? Hell no it's not going to hurt my reputation!" She smirked. "There'll be people lining up for you," she declared, voice sounding more normal. "Fortunately for me, I jumped the line early."

"You're a moron," Callie commented, though the vaguely insulting response was tinged with almost affection.

Arizona shrugged, pleased with her victory. "Have fun being a rockstar!" she called over her shoulder as she practically skipped off the elevator. "See you at one!"

A wreck in the pit ate up the time until lunch but Callie found herself in the cafeteria at a few minutes after one. It felt like the first day of school, though, scanning the room for somewhere to sit. Leaving Miami had been a quick decision, leaving behind the only home she'd ever known and the life she'd built there pretty much in the middle of the night and with only a few days of notice that she'd gotten the job in Seattle.

She'd been searching for jobs, quietly, for months, and the job at Seattle Grace had seemed too good to be true - Ortho attending position, more money, prestigious teaching hospital, and best of all, it was on the other side of the country from Florida. She'd wanted to get away and Washington was about as far as you could get and still be on the same continent. So when she'd gotten the call from Chief Webber that she'd gotten the job, she'd hired movers that day and booked a flight for the next morning.

Spotting Arizona's wave from across the room, she started in that direction, grateful that she wouldn't be sitting alone or being hit on incessantly while she ate, noticing Mark Sloan's chipper wave as she passed his table. Arizona was sitting with a group and Callie couldn't help smiling when Dr. Hunt stood up as she joined them.

"Dr. Torres," he greeted her politely, sitting down as she did. They'd already met, a lot of her cases coming into his ER.

"Oh, right, everybody, this is the new Ortho attending, Dr. Callie Torres. Callie, this is Dr. Owen Hunt, Trauma God, who I guess you already know, and my best friend, Dr. Teddy Altman, Head of Cardio." She gestured toward a thin Asian woman who was already rising from her seat to join an ash blonde who was walking by and waved. "And these two are Cristina Yang and Meredith Grey. They're fifth years."

"And we have surgery. Later Torres," Cristina interjected brusquely, throwing a wave over one shoulder as she left the table.

"Nice to meet you," Meredith threw in, tone more friendly than her friend. "Hope you like Seattle!"

Callie waved back. "Thanks. Nice to meet you all."

"Cristina's married to Owen. And she's Teddy's prized student," Arizona leaned over to tell her.

Callie smiled, bumping her with an elbow. "Thanks for the rundown. Being the new kid sucks."

"That's why you've got me." Arizona's dimples popped when she smiled. "I've got your back."

Blinking at her, Callie couldn't help laughing. "Funny you say that. Your boy Karev gave me a similar attitude about you earlier."

Arizona's mouth dropped open and Callie sipped her soda while she watched the blonde squirm for a second. "He didn't… Calliope, I-"

"Don't worry about it," Callie cut her off, stealing a fry from the basket on Arizona's tray. "He cares about you. It's sweet. And getting tough talked on my fourth day? Not intimidating at all. New job, I didn't already have anything to be nervous about…"

"You get nervous?" Arizona questioned, gently sarcastic. "I don't think I believe you. Everything I've seen has been badass Dr. Torres." A smirk made her dimples pop again. "And sexy as hell Dr. Torres," she continued under her breath so only she and Callie could hear it. "Do I need to talk to Karev? I'll yell if I have to."

"Nah. It was cool. Now I know who to watch for on the chance I screw this up." She wasn't sure if this whatever they had going was a thing she could screw up, but she knew that, either way, this wasn't the time or place to talk about it so she leaned back in her seat, grateful that the rest of the group was paying them no attention, distracted by a discussion of Cristina Yang.

"We're being rude," Teddy interjected, taking a bite of her salad.

Owen scratched at his beard, nodding. "Sorry about that, ladies. Dr. Torres, how are you liking Seattle? Florida doesn't get rain like we do here."

"Nowhere gets rain like we do here," Teddy agreed fervently. "It's why I stayed."

Callie smiled. "It's killing my hair, but I love the rain. I'll probably miss the sun sooner or later, but it's only a few days into my move so I'm still loving it. How long have you two been here?"

The pair exchanged glances and Teddy smiled at Callie and Arizona's side of the table. "I got here about a year ago. Owen's been here longer."

"By about six months," he clarified. "I came here and suggested she join me in the rain and all the green. It's a nice change from the sandbox."

"So what brought you to Seattle?" Teddy questioned, friendly and polite and clearly trying to change the subject.

If only she could oblige the other woman, but the story of why she left was not one she was going to share with these people, potential new friends, her fresh start, and most definitely not with Arizona sitting right beside her. The truth would come out eventually, she knew, but not yet and not now. So she hedged.

"Oh, you know, change of scenery and all that. I've lived in Miami my whole life and when I finished residency, it was past time for a change of location," she explained vaguely. "Plus, this is pretty much my dream job." She shrugged. "Had to take it."

"Well, we're glad you're here," Owen said genuinely. "And I'm sorry to have to rush off, but I've got a few post-op patients I need to check on. I'll see you ladies later, I'm sure."

Teddy turned to watch him leave and Arizona cleared her throat pointedly, drawing the other blonde's eyes to her. "Come on, Teddy. I thought you were over the Owen thing."

"I am! He's with Cristina and they're married and happy and I'm fine with it," Teddy stated, insistent. "Callie, you seeing anyone? I don't see a ring…" The Latina glanced sideways at Arizona, biting her lip without answering. "You're kidding me! Arizona? Robbins, she's been here, what, like five days?"

"She's been here five days and we met at Joe's five nights ago," Arizona explained, grinning without embarrassment. "Tequila has always been a good friend to me."

"I hate you," Teddy grumbled, thumping the heel of her hand against her temple. "I really hate you. I've been here a year and have the Owen thing shoved in my face every day and you just meet a new girl on her first night in town and take her home! Unbelievable!"

"Hey, we're dating," Arizona protested. Off Callie's surprised blink, she corrected herself, "Or something. We - um - well we went on _a _date…"

Callie laughed, clarifying, "She came over and helped me unpack."

"And you bought food! It counts! And we have plans on Tuesday!"

"I _hate_ you," Teddy growled at Arizona, dropping her head against the table. "And Callie, nothing personal since I just met you, but I kind of hate you too a little bit."

Callie shook her head, spearing a piece of tomato in her pasta. "Hate away. Happy people suck." She clinked her plastic cup against Teddy's when the heart surgeon lifted her head and toasted. "What?" Callie questioned when Arizona shot her a look. "They do."

"So we qualify as happy people but we suck because of it?" Arizona asked her, arching an eyebrow at her.

The brunette nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. Single people hate dating people. And happy dating people are the worst! How do you not know this?"

Teddy rolled her eyes dramatically. "Arizona hasn't been single for more than two weeks since I met her," she confided, narrowing her gaze at her friend. "How do you even find so many lesbians? Seattle is not that big, woman!"

Callie's eyebrows went up. "Interesting," she said, leaning forward on her elbows with a smirk. "Tell me more, Teddy."

"Shut up, Teddy," Arizona interjected immediately. "That makes it sound like I'm a slut! I'm not a slut!"

"Who said slut?" Teddy grumbled. "I said you date. That's not untrue."

"And do you take all of these dates home?" Callie asked, turning onto one elbow so she could face Arizona. "And for the record, are we also dating other people?"

Arizona glared across the table at Teddy as the other blonde straightened up, listening curiously and obviously interested in the new line of questioning. "Do you want to date other people? Did someone else ask you out?"

"Did _you_ ask me out?" Callie answered teasingly. "No, Arizona, no one else asked me out. I guess that Mark guy tried," both blondes' faces screwed up distastefully, "but I don't even know anyone else here." She snapped her fingers. "Unless, Teddy, what are you doing tonight?"

Arizona huffed, the sound drowning out any answer Teddy might have made. "Okay, very funny! I was trying to ask you out this morning when your lava coffee burned my throat out, remember?"

"I can speak for myself," Teddy interjected. "First of all, I would suggest _not _going out with Mark Sloan, personal experience suggestion. Second, sorry, Callie, but I have plans tonight."

"Not with Owen, right?" queried Arizona anxiously.

Teddy ignored the question. "And Arizona's normally pretty chaste on the first date. A kiss is the usual. But she hasn't had many lately that go past the second date."

"Okay, since when did you start paying so much attention to my dating?" Arizona's voice was confused. "I don't like it. You can stop now."

Teddy ignored her again. "So what's the plan for the third date?"

"Oh my God," muttered Arizona, head thumping against the table as she crossed her arms over her head.

Callie and Teddy exchanged grins. "Is this technically the third date? Drunken hook ups don't count as a first date, do they?"

"They do when they're that awesome, Calliope," Arizona's muffled voice declared from underneath her arms.

Shrugging, Callie laughed. "Okay, then. We have plans to do breakfast or brunch on Tuesday since we're both off," she answered Teddy's question.

"And will this breakfast or brunch take place after sleeping together the night before, or will one of you be picking the other one up?" Teddy questioned.

"Hey! You were a surgeon in the Army, not an interrogator!" Arizona reminded her sternly. "And if your big mouth ruins my chances of getting laid on Monday night, I'm going to kick your butt! You were in the Army but my brother is a Marine! I could totally do it!"

The other two exchanged smirking glances. "I guess that answers that question," Callie said dryly, her shoulders bobbing as she shrugged. "You know, I'm not sure why we bothered unpacking my kitchen if I'm spending every night at your house."

"We were at your place last night, Callie," the buried blonde surgeon countered. "We're alternating."

"So far…"

Teddy rolled her eyes dramatically, winking as Callie laughed. "If you exchange keys within the next two weeks, one of you is dead," she said sweetly, picking up her tray as she stood up, her pager beeping on her hip. "Callie, it really was good to meet you. Welcome to Seattle."

"Thank you. It was really nice to meet you too, Teddy," the brunette replied.

Arizona's head came up fully. "And Teddy, this thing," her finger pointed between herself and Callie, "discrete around the hospital, please?" she requested.

The taller blonde winked reassuringly. "Of course. See you around, Robbins, Torres."

There was a moment of silence as Teddy walked away, Arizona biting her lip. "I don't just take women home, Calliope."

"Except when you're celebrating. I get it. It's cool, really."

"When I'm celebrating," Arizona nodded, "and the woman in question is so completely stunning that I have to talk to her or risk completely losing my buzz," she explained, the small, teasing smile on her lips telling Callie precisely who she was talking about. "Taking you home the other night, that was the best drunk decision I've ever made."

"I would hope so," Callie murmured with a smirk, tone dry.

"Hey, be nice to me when I'm trying to be sweet!" Arizona rebuked her. "I like you, Callie. I really, really like you," she tried a charming grin, "And I wasn't _that_ drunk when I sat down beside you. And from what I remember, _you _were the one who kissed me first." Callie just smiled without speaking. "I'm not saying this right! What I mean is, I _really_ like you, Calliope. And part of me wishes that we hadn't gotten drunk and screwed the first night we ever met, but only so we could have been sober and remembered it better. But we did and it was awesome. And it was awesome last night."

"And…?" Callie could sense the question behind her ramble. "Is something wrong, Arizona?" The blonde hesitated and Callie leaned forward to get a better look at her. "We can slow down if you want to," she suggested. "We don't have to sleep together…"

Arizona frowned, shaking her head. "Whoa, no! I'm not saying that! I'm just saying, it could have started more slowly. But it didn't and we just have to deal with going straight to the endless sex part of every new relationship."

Callie's eyebrows rose slowly. "Relationship?"

"Dating, whatever." Arizona waved her off. "My point is, it's been five days and I really like you. I'm not sorry about it, but I didn't expect it to happen."

"Okay," Callie agreed, voice soft. They weren't eating, either of them, and anyone who looked at them would be able to see that they weren't just having a mere friendly conversation. "And, what, you're thinking that I don't feel it?" Arizona chewed on her lip and Callie couldn't help reaching for her face, hand firmly holding the blonde's chin. "I feel it, Arizona. It's been five days, sure, but I don't think I've ever liked someone so much, so quickly."

It was more complicated than that, though, but she shoved that truth out of her mind, clinging instead to the simple fact that she liked Arizona. And she was wasn't doing anything wrong, she reminded herself. It didn't stop the almost guilty feeling in her stomach. Sometimes she really hated being Catholic.

Arizona's sigh drew her back to the present. "I wish we weren't in the cafeteria so I could kiss you," she confessed in a whisper.

"We're not doing anything wrong," Callie reminded them both. "We can talk to the Chief, you know?"

"Not yet. It's too soon for that."

Callie nodded amicably. "Sure. Well, if we get to a spot where it's okay, know I'm up for it," she declared.

Unexpectedly, this made Arizona groan. "Now I _really _want to kiss you," she breathed, leaning her head into the steady hand on her jaw. "You don't happen to have any reason to go to another floor, do you?"

Callie shrugged, smirking. "I could come up with something," she reasoned. She followed Arizona's lead and picked up her tray, both of them crossing the cafeteria to dump their trash. "I thought we were trying to be discrete around the hospital," she laughingly reminded Arizona. "This is not subtle."

Arizona shot her a smirk over her shoulder. "You haven't been here long. This is as discrete as things get at Seattle Grace."

* * *

><p>This chapter got really long when I was breaking it up into chapters, so it got broken down further into two parts - part two of this chapter will be up in a day or two.<p>

Let me hear it!


	4. Chapter 3 pt 2

Leaving the cafeteria, they reached the hall, a pale hand pulling Callie along by the sleeve of her lab coat. Two fingers pushed the call button for the elevator and the doors opened immediately.

They stepped in calmly, Arizona gritting her teeth as a short African-American woman called out for someone to hold the doors. Callie did it without thought, shrugging apologetically when Arizona sent her a frustrated look.

"Dr. Robbins, good afternoon," the new arrival said calmly, not noticing or else ignoring the lingering tension in the air.

"Hi, Dr. Bailey. Miranda, have you met the new Ortho attending? Callie Torres, Miranda Bailey," Arizona introduced them, her tone relaxing somewhat. "Bailey's the best General surgeon in the hospital." And she was a good friend. A year ahead of Arizona in residency, Miranda Bailey had been chief resident and there was little doubt that she would be Chief of Surgery as soon as the job became available. Stern on the outside, she was tough on her students and kind to her patients, determined to turn her interns and residents into the best doctors they could be. She was a feared teacher, but anyone who could survive would have an unrivaled education.

"Nice to meet you." Callie offered a hand to shake, nodding to the other doctor.

"You too," Bailey returned, eyes surveying the pair. "Dr. Robbins, I've got a case in the pit I could use you on."

Arizona's brow furrowed and she checked the pager clipped to the inside of her coat pocket. "Did you page? Because I didn't get it…"

"Not an urgent case," Bailey assured her. "Pox outbreak at a local day care. There's only one case so far, but the school called. There could be some infant cases and you know how the parents get. And I know it's not surgical, but Peds has the best quarantine set up so the Chief wants to keep them up there."

The blonde sighed. "So we'll need to set it up for the ones that come in." She gazed sideways at her friend. "Did you page Stark?"

Bailey scoffed lightly, eyes rolling. "Please. If I'm calling anyone for help, it's going to be someone who will actually help," she declared. "I have interns for whining that I'm wasting their time."

"Did you get in touch with Alex?" Arizona asked, smirking. She wasn't the only person that Dr. Stark drove crazy.

She nodded, chin length dark hair bobbing as her head moved. "He's on his way down now. Grey should be coming with him."

"Good. Thank you, Bailey," Arizona voiced her approval of the plan. "You heading down now?" Her fingers hovered over the button that would carry them down to the ER floor. Bailey nodded again and Arizona pushed the button, taking a step back to stand in between Callie and Miranda. She sent Callie an apologetic look, but the brunette just shrugged, smiling.

The elevator doors slid closed and they started moving, Arizona lifting one finger to signal Bailey that she'd be a moment behind her when they reached their destination. "Calliope, I…"

Callie glanced around quickly. No one was looking at them in the bustle and she interrupted Arizona's attempted explanation to kiss her. It was brief and chaste and unless they'd been looking straight at them, no one could have seen it. Arizona's shock was clear, however. "Better?" Callie asked, laughing.

"No!" Arizona groaned through gritted teeth. "Now I want to kiss you again!"

"But you have to go help little kids," Callie reminded her. "I'll see you around, okay?"

"See me around Joe's tonight?"

Callie's eyebrows rose, smirking smile on her lips. "Two nights in a row and three nights in one week? Wow…"

Arizona continued quickly, "We won't go home together. We'll just get a drink, talk, that's all."

"And what if we want to go home together?" It was a fair question. Even standing in the hallway of the hospital, Callie could see the interest, the lust in her eyes. Arizona bit her lip, hesitant, and Callie shook her head in reprieve. "We won't have sex, Arizona. We could just watch a movie, talk. I promise I'll send myself home by midnight."

"Why don't we skip Joe's then?" Arizona suggested. "You could just come over after work."

"I don't get off until after you do. How about I call you when I'm leaving?"

"Perfect." Arizona's dimples reappeared as she smiled. Callie was surprised but pleased when the blonde sidestepped in front of her and grabbed both sides of her lab coat, using the lapels to pull her into another kiss. It was longer than the first, but still not what either of them wanted. It would do until later, though. She stepped backward with a sigh. "Okay, I'm going to," she pointed over her shoulder toward the curtained beds, "go now."

Callie nodded, able to feel her lips tingling from Arizona's absence. "Later."

Aside from a few fleeting glimpses around the hospital they didn't see each other again until Callie was knocking on the front door of the blonde's house. As soon as Arizona opened the door, Callie was greeted by the scent of food and she slumped against the doorframe gratefully.

"Hungry?" Arizona cheerfully asked.

"God, yes. There was a MVA with a semi and four other cars and the pit was swamped with broken bones. I'm starving!" It was almost ten and she hadn't eaten since lunch. "But why are you cooking in the middle of the night?"

Arizona shrugged, one hand curling around a wrist to pull Callie inside the house. "I thought you might be hungry. I heard about the accident."

"How are the chicken pox kids?" Callie asked, taking the wineglass Arizona handed her.

A grimace cross the blonde's face. "Miserable and itchy. The babies are the worst. They all have really high fevers and they can't stop crying."

"Poor babies," murmured Callie sympathetically, sipping her wine. "What are you making? It smells amazing."

"Oh, it was just something simple. Chicken and some rice. You're not vegetarian or something, are you?" she asked as it occurred to her.

Callie snorted, eyes rolling. "Do I look like a vegetarian, Arizona?"

"Just checking!" Arizona put a hand up defensively.

"There was pepperoni on our pizza the other night," she reminded her, smirking against the lip of the wine glass.

Arizona blushed, ducking her head. "Oh yeah… I remember more about the sex than the pizza, Calliope."

Callie's smirk was pleased and proud. "Well, that's good to hear."

Tugging her along into the kitchen, Arizona only released her to serve up some of the food for her. "We could eat in here, or on the couch, wherever you want."

"Couch," requested Callie, nodding toward the living room. "I just want to veg out if that's okay."

"That's perfect." Arizona handed her a plate and led the way into the other room, flopping herself down onto the sofa. "D'you mind if I watch some TV?"

"Of course not. It's your house." Callie took a seat on the other side of the couch and gratefully dug into her food. "Arizona, thank you," she sighed. "This is just what I needed tonight."

Arizona grinned across the couch at her, tucking her legs up beside herself and settling into the corner of the sofa. "Good. I'm glad to hear that."

There was quiet as Callie ate hungrily, her eyes drawn helplessly to Arizona. The blonde was already wearing pajamas, which, in spite of spending two nights together, was a look she'd never seen on her. A thin, snug white tank top left the top of her chest and the smooth length of her arms bare. Long red flannel patterned pants covered the blonde's perfect legs. In short, she looked perfectly delicious. But they'd declared that they weren't going to sleep together tonight.

So when she finished her dinner, Callie stayed dutifully on her own half of the couch. She covered a yawn and blinked at the television. Now that she wasn't focused on eating, the exhaustion was replacing the hunger. She leaned forward to put the empty plate on the coffee table and sighed as she leaned back into her spot.

"Hey," Arizona called softly, stretching her legs out toward Callie and nudging her hip. Tired brown eyes found hers. "Come here," she coaxed in a quiet voice, opening her arms in invitation.

"What about-?"

Arizona's smile was affectionate. "You're sleepy and you're too far away. Just come here, please," requested the blonde, wiggling her fingers to draw Callie in. "Please? Let me hold you."

Without a protest, not even wanting to make one, Callie stretched out slowly. Arizona positioned a pillow for her next to her own arm, the blonde on her side and pressed against the back of the couch with her head leaned up on an elbow. Her free hand slid through dark hair as Callie settled into her spot, combing it behind her ear and back from her face. Callie's hand that wasn't curled under her head reached back blindly for Arizona, touch finding her hip. "Closer," she murmured without opening her eyes. "You're all scrunched up."

"I'm fine," Arizona whispered, amused. "You just relax." To appease her, she let her body settle against Callie's back, the brunette's hand remaining on her hip and rubbing lightly over her butt.

"I'm not going home tonight, am I?" Callie questioned, cracking one eye open to look up at Arizona.

"Definitely not," the blonde agreed, leaning down to kiss her temple. "You're exhausted." Another kiss, on her cheek the second time. "It wouldn't be safe for you to drive. And you're the Ortho specialist. You couldn't fix yourself if you got in an accident." She shook her head, nose nudging against a tanned neck as she trailed her kisses down. "Too risky. I'm not letting you go."

A sleepy smile grew on Callie's lips and she relaxed on the sofa. "Well, if I have to stay, I have to." She turned her head to look up at her. "Whenever you want to go to bed, I'm good here."

Arizona laughed, kissing her lips softly. "Don't be ridiculous. I've got plenty of extra room if you don't want to stay with me, but you're not sleeping on the couch."

"Why do you have such a big house, anyway?" Callie asked curiously, voice heavy with sleep. "It's just you here, right?"

"Cristina, Meredith, and Alex have all lived here with me at some point, but Cristina and Meredith both got married so they've moved out," Arizona explained.

Callie's eyes blinked open more fully. "So Alex still lives here?"

"Sometimes," Arizona laughed. "When he's not hooking up with someone." She trailed a finger across Callie's face, the contact drawing her eyes to close again. "He's in his fifth year. He stays busy. This is basically a place to crash."

"Did you guys get the house to share?" Callie asked conversationally.

"No. It's technically my parent's house."

"So your parents live here too?" She couldn't help yawning, covering her mouth with one hand.

"No," answered Arizona patiently, amused by the questioning when it was clear that Callie was flirting with the edge of sleep. "My dad was in the Marines for forty years. Even retired, they move around every eighteen months or so. It drives my mom crazy, but she loves him." Her hand slid down Callie's arm and curled across her middle. "But it makes it easier for them to visit me and my brother if they have places to stay in the cities where we live. We each live in them and they stay with us when they visit."

"You have a brother? Older or younger?"

"Older, but only by a year," Arizona supplied. "His name is Timothy. He's a Marine, like Dad. What about you? Any siblings?"

"Sister, younger by three years. Name's Aria."

Arizona smiled. "Your parents gave their daughters beautiful names, Calliope."

Callie's mouth pulled at the corners but she didn't open her eyes again. "My mom's big into poetry and stuff." She sighed as she turned her head into Arizona's shoulder. "And you don't know my middle name. It's horrific."

"I look forward to finding out what it is, but for now you should go to sleep," whispered Arizona, kissing just above Callie's ear. "My middle name's Marie, for the record."

"I won't forget that even though I'm half-asleep," Callie promised. "I'm not telling mine. Never. Not even if I'm wasted, so don't try getting me drunk."

Laughing, Arizona curled her arm under Callie's neck. "Come on," she said quietly. "You're going to pass out. Let's get upstairs before you get too comfy."

"Okay, but I want to sleep with you," requested Callie. "You're good to sleep with."

Arizona was chuckling as she gently coaxed Callie to sit up, pulling the brunette's arm around her shoulders. "Thank you. You are too. Now, lean on me, okay?" She led Callie to the stairs, arm curled around the brunette's waist. Callie shuffled up the stairs and down the hall to Arizona's bedroom, groaning when the blonde wouldn't let her just flop into bed.

"You need pjs," she said, both hands on her shoulders to steady her. "Can you stay on your feet?"

One brown eye cracked open. "I'm not incompetent. I'm just sleepy."

Arizona's eyes widened as Callie pulled her t-shirt over her head without a second of hesitation. "Oh God." She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry as a bone. No one was this sexy, were they? It was just not possible that one person could be _so_ damn sexy. She spun quickly when Callie reached behind her for the clasp of her bra. If they weren't having sex tonight, she couldn't see any more. And Callie was too tired for sex. Sleeping, just sleeping, would be enough for tonight.

"Here." She held her soft, gray, much washed USMC t-shirt blindly out behind her. It had been inherited from her brother, so it was huge on her and she had a sneaking suspicion that it would look divine on Callie. "Do you want some shorts?"

"That would be great," came the answer from behind her. "Thank you."

She turned as she handed over the short shorts, selfishly picking a pair that she knew would highlight Callie's spectacular ass. She comforted herself with the reminder that they were also her most comfortable pair of shorts. She was being sweet, really. And the sight of Callie in her favorite t-shirt was her reward for being such a saint. And sainthood was what she qualified for since she was going to keep hands off of Callie all night. Her shirt hit the Latina right above mid-thigh, leaving the positive _miles_ of her legs bare and begging to be touched.

Callie's smile seemed to suggest that she could read Arizona's thoughts as she pulled on the shorts and leaned over to pick up her discarded clothes. Arizona took them from her, setting them aside on the chair against the wall. "There, pajamas are on. Can I get in the bed now?"

"Sure, sweetie." The pet name slipped out without thought, but Callie either didn't notice or didn't mind it because she didn't protest. She slid underneath the blankets and moved into the middle of the mattress. Arizona clicked the lights off and the room was only lit with moonlight slated through the blinds on the windows. Sliding in beside Callie, Arizona was immediately pulled into the brunette's arms, plush lips dropping a kiss on her shoulder and sighing. "Good night, Calliope."

* * *

><p>See, when I say new chapter in a day or two, I deliver! Let me hear what you think!<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

Callie woke up slowly, remembering where she was before she opened her eyes. It smelled like Arizona. She liked it. Her apartment mostly still smelled like cleaning supplies. Blonde hair was tousled, but Arizona didn't stir as Callie sat up and stretched. Her stomach growled and she slipped out from under the sheets, leaving Arizona sleeping in the bed.

Padding downstairs, Callie rooted through the fridge for breakfast. She found supplies, Arizona's fridge more stocked than her own was. Of course, if she spent all her time over here at Arizona's house, she'd never have an opportunity to shop for herself. And it would make the rent she was paying a waste, too. She'd been doing an admirable job of keeping the reality of her situation out of mind, but it only seemed to work when Arizona was around. Everything about the blonde made her feel better about the mess that had become her life.

She was scrambling eggs when someone entered the kitchen behind her. "What about going to the movies on Tuesday after breakfast?" she asked without turning. "Or did you have something in mind?"

Alex Karev joined her at the stove, peeking over her shoulder and sipping coffee. "We're going out now? I thought you were going out with Robbins…"

"I thought you were Arizona," Callie said, rolling her eyes. "You want some breakfast, Karev?"

"Sweet!" he crowed, snagging a piece of toast from a plate next to the stove. "Thanks! You're a keeper. If Arizona screws it up, any chance you…"

"Finish that sentence and you're with Stark for the rest of the week," Arizona threatened from the doorway, entering and crossing the kitchen. "Good morning," she greeted them. "You made breakfast?"

Nodding, Callie turned her head to kiss her quickly, handing a plate to Arizona. "Eggs and bacon and toast. You don't mind, do you? I found the stuff in the fridge."

"No, it's great! Thank you." Alex had his mouth full of toast and he reached around Arizona to pluck up some bacon for himself. "Okay, take it to the table, grabby hands!" Pushing the plate of bacon into his chest, she shooed him away from the stove. "How'd you sleep?" she asked, lowering her voice.

Callie smiled sideways, bumping her with an elbow. "Really good. Like a coma, good. Your bed is really comfy." Her voice dropped and she glanced over her shoulder to where Alex Karev was stuffing his face. "The company was great, too. Thank you for letting me stay."

"Oh, please, it was my pleasure." Arizona bobbed her eyebrows playfully.

"You should go get some food before your boy eats it all," Callie warned her, nodding toward the table. "I'll be right there with the eggs. You like scrambled eggs, don't you? I could do something else with them…"

"Scrambled is perfect, Calliope," Arizona interjected. "You didn't have to cook."

"You two make out already!" Alex grumbled from the table, his mouth full of bacon.

"One more word out of you and you're on Stark's service for the rest of the month." Arizona pointed at him sternly. "And stop eating all the food!"

Callie rolled her eyes at their familiar teasing, obviously a common occurrence between them. It made her wonder how Arizona and her brother got along with each other. Then she wondered if she'd ever get to meet Arizona's family. It was too soon to be thinking about that, though. She'd have to sort out her mess before she could take a step like that with Arizona. It wouldn't be fair to the blonde. And it wouldn't be fair to how she already knew she could feel about Arizona. It wasn't love, not yet, but she could feel how easily, how quickly, it could become something real. She resolved to call her lawyer again as soon as she had time.

"Calliope?" Arizona's voice snapped her back to the present and she realized that she'd been zoning out. "Are you okay?" She snaked a hand in to turn off the eye of the stove as the eggs in the pan started to steam harder.

Twitching in reaction, Callie shook her head. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I just… phased out for a second."

"Is everything okay?" Arizona asked, frowning lightly. "You look kind of…"

"It's nothing," interjected the brunette quickly. "Hey, would you want to go to the movies on Tuesday, maybe? After breakfast?"

The frown hadn't entirely faded, but the blonde's face relaxed slightly. "Sure. That would be great! And I'd love to show you around the city if you haven't had a tour yet."

"Perfect." Callie smiled and Alex audibly gagged from the table.

"Karev…"

"That wasn't a word!" he protested before his boss could rebuke him. "I didn't say anything!"

"Pushing it," Arizona warned him. "Who are you sleeping with this week, anyway?"

He smirked as she took the seat across from him. "Don't worry, I know the rules. No one from Peds. She's a third year in Derm."

"Do you even know her name?" Arizona shot him a look, head shaking from side to side when he just shrugged. "Then you don't get to comment on who I'm seeing." Callie joined them at the table and set the plate of eggs in the center. Arizona smacked Alex's hand away from the serving spoon. "Especially not when she makes us breakfast," she reminded him pointedly. "Callie, please, go ahead." Alex glared good-naturedly at the blonde, huffing as he leaned back in his seat in a slouch. "Don't even pout at me. You know we never eat so good in the mornings."

"Because you don't cook breakfast! You just buy those Pop Tart things!"

"You're the one who eats them all!" Arizona countered. "And I let you live here! I don't have to cook for you, Alex! Just because I'm the woman in the house…"

Callie's quiet laugh interrupted them. "Do you two go back and forth like that all the time?" she asked curiously. "It's cute, really." Arizona and Alex exchanged looks and both grimaced simultaneously. "Or not?"

"You're new around here," Alex advised gruffly, but it was clear that he was fond of his mentor, even if he didn't wanted it pointed out. "You'll get used to it if you can stand sticking around Robbins that long." Arizona stomped on his foot under the table and he twitched in reaction.

"Hello?" Teddy's voice called from the front of the house.

"In the kitchen," Arizona raised her voice to call back. "Callie made breakfast!"

Teddy's eyebrows were raised as she turned the corner into the hall. "Callie is here," she said slowly, smiling in greeting. "Good morning, Callie."

The brunette nodded, feeling nervous for some reason. These were Arizona's friends, by all indications, her best friends. She didn't want them to think poorly of her. She didn't want Arizona to think poorly of her. The truth would need to come out, and sharing it herself rather than letting it come out some other way would be better. But this was still new, still fresh, and refreshing, and everything she'd been missing at home. She didn't want to risk giving it up yet. She wasn't ready. And nothing was finalized back in Florida. Except that she wasn't going back.

"Calliope?"

Arizona's soft question made her realize that she'd done it again, and Callie shook her head. "Sorry. Good morning, Teddy."

The other two exchanged confused looks, Arizona leaning in closer. "Hey…"

"I'm sorry, I just," she shook her head, "I think I'm getting a headache or something." She caught Arizona's wrist as the blonde immediately started to stand up. "It's okay."

A frown was creasing the other woman's forehead, and she pushed Callie's hand off. "Trust me, I've got a cure for that." Her hand held Callie into the chair, touch sliding across the back of her shoulders. "Just give me a second." Returning with a mug of steaming coffee, Arizona retook her seat while Teddy and Alex ribbed each other across the table. "Drink this. The caffeine will help. And there's ibuprofen if you want some."

She dutifully obeyed, sipping the coffee until Arizona's eyes shifted off of her. "Thank you."

"Are you guys working today?" Teddy asked politely.

"I'm going in at nine, so I've got to go," Alex said, standing up. "Torres, thanks for breakfast. I'm out!"

"Learn that girl's name!" Arizona ordered him as he ran off. "And check on the quarantine kids!"

"I'm on it, boss!"

Teddy shook her head, looking over her shoulder at his retreat. "He's got another new girl? You two are lucky there's no crossover in targets between you." She rolled her eyes. "Women of Seattle, beware."

Callie snorted a laugh and Arizona glared at her friend. "Alex can go after whoever he wants. I just want him to remember their names. I'm trying to help the female gender. He's a good guy - most of the time. I'm just helping." Blue eyes shot sideways at Callie. "And as for the other women of Seattle, I think I'm going to be pretty focused on one target." Callie's smile was genuine and it made Arizona's heart beat a bit faster. Whatever had distracted her seemed to have passed for the moment.

Dropping one hand below the table, Callie rubbed her palm over the blonde's knee. "Focused is good," she said softly.

Arizona leaned in to kiss her, ignoring Teddy's groan from the other side of the table. Callie sucking on her lip was unexpected with the audience, but not unwelcome by any means. "What are you doing to me?" she murmured against supple lips.

"I don't know," Callie whispered, knowing exactly what the blonde meant. This thing between them was strong, rising fast, and irrepressible as the tide.

Teddy cleared her throat pointedly and the two retreated from each other. "Okay, I can feel that from over here, so I'm going to need you two to stop torturing the poor single woman, please."

"Sorry," Arizona muttered. "What are you doing over here, anyway? You don't normally have time to visit your poor old best friend before work."

The heart surgeon rolled her eyes. "You're getting laid. I have no sympathy for you, Robbins."

"We just slept," insisted the blonde. "I made dinner, we watched TV, and Callie passed out in my bed."

"And in your clothes, apparently," Teddy noted, smirking.

"It was just sleep," Callie stated in agreement. "I was exhausted." She drained the last of her coffee. "And I've also got to be at work at nine and I have to go home and take a shower and change, so I've got to go."

Arizona stood up with her, but hesitated to touch her. Callie fixed that by leaning in and kissing her quickly. "I'll see you at work?"

"Of course." Callie nodded. "Teddy, good to see you."

"Yeah, you too," she agreed. "You going to join us for lunch or did we scare you off?"

Callie smiled, head bobbing again. "Sure. That will be great."

She gathered her clothes from upstairs, hearing Arizona and Teddy talking in the kitchen as she left through the front door, the glass rattling lightly in the frame of the windowed door. The first breath of morning air was refreshing and helped resettle her. She felt guilty about hiding the truth from Arizona, but it was entirely too soon to share that part of her life with anyone. And Arizona made her feel good, better than she'd felt in more than a year.

All she could do is keep on her lawyer to get things wrapped up in Miami, then she would tell Arizona everything, come clean.

The next time she was on Arizona's porch, it was to pick her up on Tuesday for their breakfast date. She knocked politely on the door and could hear the blonde scrambling down the stairs. "Good morning," Callie greeted her as the door was thrown open, Arizona throwing herself into Callie's arms so the Latina had to catch her. The kiss was as sudden as the jumping, but no less welcome. Arms tight around her back, Callie kept her pressed against herself while they kissed, deep and slow.

"Good morning!" Arizona echoed cheerfully as Callie set her back on her feet after a few long, slow, deeply pleasurable moments.

"You ready to go?"

Arizona kissed her cheek with a loud smacking sound. "Absolutely. Let's go!" She took Callie's hand as they walked toward the driveway, swinging them in between the two of them. "Whoa." She stopped when she saw Callie's car. "This is yours? It's awesome!" She hopped excitedly. "I saw it in the parking lot your first day but I didn't know it was your first day!" Dragging Callie forward, she circled the car eagerly, inspecting it.

The keys jingled as Callie pulled them out of her pocket. "Well, here," she offered, handing the keys to Arizona. "You're driving." Arizona gaped at her in surprise, jaw dropping. Callie shrugged, pleased with the reaction. "I pretty much only know how to get here and the hospital. So if we're touring the city, you're driving. If you want, of course."

Arizona snatched the keys. "Oh, I want!" she declared. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"So you're a car fan," Callie mused, smirk on her lips. "Good to know."

"Tim trained me," explained Arizona, still admiring the classic car. "Where'd you get it from? The car love?"

Shrugging, Callie released her hand to go get into her seat. "I just always thought the classics were pretty. And this is pretty much my dream car." She stroked a hand over the passenger side fender fondly as she moved toward the door. Arizona darted quickly to get it for her, a cheeky grin on her face.

"My lady," she offered politely. "You're really going to let me drive your car?" She asked the question even as she shut the passenger door behind Callie.

Callie nodded. "Sure. You can drive stick, right?"

"Yep! My dad taught me! He said I should be able to drive anything. Just in case." Callie gave her an amused look and the blonde shrugged. "He's a Marine. He wants me always be over prepared." She ran quickly around the front of the vehicle to get behind the wheel, dropping her bag in the backseat. "Can we keep the top down?"

"Sure," Callie agreed. "And how do you over prepare for a tour of the city?"

Arizona looked across the car at her and winked. "I have an unbelievable amount of snacks in my purse. And triple-A." She laughed. "My dad renews my membership every year for Christmas."

"Wow," Callie joined in the laughter. "I guess that is how you over prepare for driving all day. If it helps at all, I've got a blanket in the trunk." She only realized how that sounded when Arizona bobbed her eyebrows at her teasingly. "My sister used to drive it to the beach. I made her cover the seats to keep sand out of my upholstery."

"Sure, Calliope. I'm sure what that's what it's for," Arizona sarcastically agreed. "I'm sure I can find a way to make it useful." It was Callie's turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "Hey! I'm a lady! And I treat my dates like ladies too! I just happen to know where there's a beautiful view overlooking the city. If we're still out after dark, we could go." Her teasing smile gentled, becoming sweet and tentative. "Or we could go some other time."

Callie's hand touched hers and Arizona felt her throat dry as the Latina smiled at her. "We can go tonight. The weather looks like it might even cooperate. And if it does drizzle, we could get under the blanket."

"Great," Arizona said hoarsely, swallowing hard. "Shall we, then?"

Laughing, Callie withdrew her hand. "Sure."

Arizona started the engine and let out a squeal of excitement. "I love this car!"

Breakfast, touring, and some regular, old-fashioned tourism, including Callie's first visit to the Space Needle, ate up the day. The sun was setting as Arizona guided the car out of the city and off the paved road entirely.

"You're not taking me out to the woods to ditch me and steal my car, are you?" Callie questioned as she looked around at the trees on either side of the narrow dirt path they were following.

"No," Arizona laughed. "This is Derek and Meredith's land. He built them a house up here. The view is incredible."

"And do all the doctors from the hospital bring their dates up here?"

Arizona grinned at her in the dark. "The smart ones. Shepherd doesn't mind as long as he doesn't see anything."

"So we're going to the Seattle Grace make out spot?"

"We're going to a hill overlooking the city with a gorgeous view," Arizona corrected her. She pulled the parking brake and turned the car off. "See?"

Callie couldn't argue. The night lights of the city were spread out below them and the blanket of stars above them was beautiful. "Wow…"

"I know," Arizona agreed quietly. She looked over when Callie's door creaked as she opened it. "Where are you going?"

Reaching over, Callie took the keys out of the ignition and rounded the car to open the trunk. Arizona realized what she was doing when the brunette spread the blanket she retrieved across the hood and windshield. "Come on," she coaxed, climbing onto the car and leaning back against the windshield.

Arizona put a foot on the tire to hoist herself up, settling beside her on the blanket. Callie's arm curled around her shoulder and drew her head to rest beside her own. There was quiet as they both admired the view and the peaceful quiet. The moon was full as it rose, but was obscured with clouds as it got higher in the night sky.

Arizona was the one to eventually break the silence, familiar with the change in pressure that signaled an incoming rain. "We should get back inside," she whispered, not sure if Callie was even awake to hear her. "It's going to rain." Callie didn't answer, just shifted to let Arizona moved if she wanted. "Fine, but I'm at least going to put the top up before it gets soaked." She slipped off the car carefully, making sure she didn't scuff the paint with her shoes. The brunette didn't move as Arizona lifted the car's ragtop and locked it back into place. It was just in time as the rain started to fall, sprinkle giving way to a hard, heavy downpour in only a few minutes. "Calliope!"

She didn't move, just tilted her face back into the rain and laughed. "I love it!" she called back. Arizona was standing at the passenger door, shoulders hunched and head ducked as though it could keep her dry at all in the pounding rain. Callie sat up, grinning at her. "Come on!"

"What?" Arizona laughed. "It's pouring! We're going to get soaked!"

"So what?" Callie slid off the car and caught the blonde's hips between her hands. "You don't like the rain?" Her hair was starting to drip but her eyes were shining and Arizona wasn't sure she'd ever seen anything so beautiful in her life as a soaking wet Calliope Torres in the middle of the night in the rain.

"No," answered Arizona distractedly, cocking her head. "I like the rain. I like the rain a lot." An involuntary shiver slid down her spine as the cold water soaked into her clothes. "You're kind of crazy," she said, having to raise her voice to be heard over the loud, heavy downpour.

Callie shrugged, still grinning. "But you're out here with me, so what does that mean for you?"

Arizona's dimples popped as she returned the grin. Both hands curled through thick dark hair, pulling Callie into a kiss as she unconsciously pressed the Latina against her car while she kissed her thoroughly. "It means that I appreciate what a wet shirt does for your chest." Callie threw her head back to laugh and Arizona pushed in closer, hands bunching in Callie's hair. "And this rain is cold, which is just a bonus," she added, gratified when it brought Callie's arms around her back, the brunette kissing her again.

The passion simmered under the surface, but the kiss was languid and slow, a deep exploration that neither felt the need to rush. This kiss made it feel as though they'd have the rest of their lives to kiss just like this.

* * *

><p>Finished my yard work = chapter for y'all! Let me know what you think!<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

Notice the rating change, people...

* * *

><p>Joe's was crowded when Teddy and Arizona joined the rest of the hospital staff for the Friday night exodus to their favorite bar. "I'll get drinks, you get a table," Arizona said, pushing her way through the mass to the bar to order.<p>

Focusing on not spilling their drinks while she picked her way through the crowd, Arizona found Teddy squeezed in at the edge of a booth bench with Alex and Meredith's sister Lexie, Cristina and Meredith on the other side.

"Where's your girlfriend tonight?" Cristina leaned forward to ask her as she and Meredith willingly squeezed together to give Arizona room to join them on the bench.

"She's not my girlfriend," Arizona corrected her reluctantly. She'd love to be Callie's girlfriend, but they hadn't talked about it, had only been going out for a few weeks. But it wasn't as if they were seeing other people.

"Whatever, Roller-girl," Cristina scoffed. "You're all over each other! She's totally your girlfriend!"

"Shut it, Yang," ordered the Peds surgeon, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her drink.

Teddy glanced at something behind Arizona and smirked suddenly. "Well, if you don't want her to be your girlfriend, I'm sure she could be someone else's girlfriend…"

Arizona shot a blue-eyed glare at her best friend, Alex laughing into his beer. "I didn't say I _don't_ want to be her girlfriend! We just haven't talked about it. It's still early…"

"You might not want to take too long to have that talk," Karev commented, pointing with the neck of his bottle to something behind her, smirking. Teddy glanced sideways at Alex and let her smirk grow as the three women on the other side of the booth twisted in their seats to look.

In the midst of the crowd, no matter that there was no dance floor, Callie Torres was dancing with a rotation of her seemingly endless supply of willing partners, men coming out of the woodwork to dance with the gorgeous Latina. Her body moved in liquid, flowing motions that were completely instinctual and effortless. She was sex on legs and Arizona could feel her mouth go dry as she caught sight of her.

"Damn," Meredith whispered, eyes wide. "She's hot." Tearing her eyes off the enrapturing sight, Arizona glared sideways at her. "I mean, like, almost dirty hot," the resident clarified. "Seriously, you're freaking lucky, Arizona."

Turning her eyes back to the gorgeous spectacle of Callie dancing, Arizona had to agree. She _was_ damn lucky. This woman, this gorgeous goddess, could have anyone she wanted, could have any man in this bar, but she wanted _her_.

"Are you seriously going to just sit here and just _watch_ her?" Alex asked incredulously, draining his beer. "Because if you're not going to dance with that, I will." He made to push Teddy out of the booth so he could get up.

Arizona kicked him sharply under the table, just glaring when he recoiled his leg and cursed through clenched teeth. "Shut it, Karev," she growled.

"You're doing a lot of telling people to shut it tonight," Teddy observed, smirking. "And not much dancing with your woman."

Grumbling, Arizona rolled her eyes. "She is _not_ my woman. I mean, I _wish_…"

Cristina groaned impatiently and promptly shoved her right out of the booth, the blonde crashing hard to the peanut littered floor. "Suck it up and dance with her!" she ordered, scooting out so Arizona couldn't retake her seat.

Looking up, Arizona saw that her fall had disrupted Callie's dancing, the brunette watching her with a smile on her lips. "I hate you," she growled at her friends in the booth, all of them laughing. Brushing both hands over her jeans, Arizona stood up, smiling shyly as she approached Callie, the Latina having resumed her moving to the music. "Hey," she offered sheepishly

Rather than answer her, Callie reached for her, pulling her in. Her body was the perfect contrast of soft and strong and Arizona let herself be moved. Callie pressed herself against the blonde, hands on Arizona's hips to guide her into the dance. After a moment, Callie smiled, pleased. "You're good," she murmured approvingly. Arizona promptly stepped on her foot and blushed brightly. "No, it's okay," Callie coaxed, not letting her pull away. "Don't worry about your feet. Look at me."

Callie coached her through a spin, catching the blonde with her back against her front. Warm lips kissed the side of Arizona's neck lightly, hands at her waist to guide her into a playful shimmy. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight," Arizona gasped, her eyes fighting to stay open. Contact between them was hot, electric. And the fact that they were in public was making her crazy when all she wanted to do was turn around and do things that would certainly get them kicked out of the bar, if not arrested outright.

"Surprise," Callie murmured into her ear, smiling against her skin.

"How long have you been here?"

Spinning her again, they returned to face to face, Callie smiling warmly at her. "Just a little bit. Do you want to get out of here?"

"If you want to keep dancing…"

Callie nodded, lowering them at a slow, side to side pace, one of her knees slipping in between Arizona's legs and making her blue eyes roll back in her head. "As a matter of fact, I would like to keep dancing." She snuck a kiss to Arizona's lips. "With you. Privately."

Blue eyes widened slightly in understanding and more than a little bit of desire. "Well," she said, swallowing, "I'd be happy to walk you home," she proposed, breathing shakily. Callie knew exactly how to push her buttons. She didn't even have to try.

Callie smirked triumphantly, lacing their fingers and leading Arizona back past their friends' table, none of them bothering to hide their knowing looks. Arizona plucked up her glass and finished it in two long swallows. "Later," Callie said, ignoring their smiles and steering Arizona toward the door as the blonde put her empty glass back down on the table.

The air was damp, close to rain, as they reached the top of the stairs to street level, Callie holding Arizona's hand at her side while they walked, exchanging almost shy glances now that they were out of the heated, close air of the bar and into the warm, fresh air of the Seattle night. Arizona's breath came more steadily and Callie smugly smiled. "You okay?" she checked considerately.

Arizona just squeezed her hand, shooting a look sideways at her. "You know just how hot you are, Calliope Torres. Don't even fake like you don't."

"I like that I turn you on," Callie said, her own sideways glance catching Arizona's eye. "Because you are sexy as hell, so fair is fair."

A dimpled smirk was her reward, Arizona swinging their hands in between them. "So, do you dance it out at Joe's after work often?" she asked without thought. Of course, she wanted to know if the moves she'd seen tonight were a common occurrence and she'd somehow been missing out.

"Dance it out?" Amused, Callie sent her a crooked smirk. God, she was beautiful.

"That's what Cristina calls it." Blue eyes rolled as Arizona pictured her former roommates dancing wildly in their living room with a bottle of tequila and loud music. "She and Meredith do it as stress relief. Just turn up the music and pull out the tequila and jump around."

Callie smirked. "Dance it out… I like that," she declared. She could easily picture Arizona doing just that, blonde curls bouncing as she moved, legs that drove her crazy, everything about her that drove her crazy, really. "So, will you dance it out with me upstairs?" Callie requested as they crossed the street to her building.

"Definitely, if you dance like you did at Joe's. Because that was… something else." There were no words in her brain at the moment to describe how enrapturing she found Callie Torres. She wondered if Callie could see it in her eyes how she affected her. Because there was no denying that she did.

"That's the only way I dance, baby," Callie promised lightly, one eyebrow arching as they entered the elevator. Arizona's wanting groan came from her chest and she didn't hesitate to wind her hands in dark hair, kissing Callie firmly, tongue slipping between full lips. The brunette curled both arms around her waist as she sucked on the new arrival, taking a quick step forward to press Arizona against the wall of the elevator.

The door chime didn't prompt anything but a change in angle, Callie guiding them blindly backwards and out of the elevator in the direction of her apartment without giving up kissing Arizona. Planting her against the wall next the door, they separated to catch their breath, Arizona eagerly digging the keys out of Callie's tight front pocket.

"Arizona…" the Latina growled warningly. Hands in her pants, even in the context of getting her keys out of her pocket, was too much right now. She fully intended to take the blonde to bed tonight, but she was enjoying the flirty fun of dancing. They had all night to get each other's pants off. "Behave yourself."

Blue eyes, darkened with want, just sparkled wickedly at her. "I don't think you really want that, Calliope."

She snuck another brief kiss, almost chaste. "I really don't." Dimples popped in victory. "But I would really love to dance it out with you."

The smile didn't falter, just softened. "Of course we're going to dance. We might be dancing every day from now on now that I know how utterly gorgeous you look moving like that." She winked playfully and Callie raised an eyebrow at her. "And you're gorgeous when you're _not_ dancing, but…"

Callie got her door opened and stepped back to free Arizona from the wall, letting her into the apartment. "I'll take it as a complement?"

"You definitely should, Calliope," Arizona said, passing her with a proud smile and going straight to the stereo. Kicking her shoes off, she clicked through a few songs as Callie moved her coffee table, giving them more room to move and less chance that either one of them would end up back at the hospital tonight. They might be falling down later, but it wasn't going to be because they tripped over some stupid table.

Catching the beat, Arizona jumped to the music, a happy grin on her face. "Calliope!" she called, waving her forward. "Dance it out!"

Matching her grin, Callie obeyed, bobbing to the music. They danced around each other, reacting to the moves of the other but only touching lightly to ensure that there were no collisions. Arizona was a treat to watch while she danced - playful, and carefree, and as unselfconscious as she was when she did anything else while she moved to the music, never losing her grin. Callie could only hope that watching her dance was half as good for Arizona as watching Arizona was for her. She could definitely watch this every day and not mind it at all.

They'd danced through more than a half dozen songs before Arizona flopped back onto the couch to catch her breath, smiling peacefully up at Callie as she made herself comfortable. Callie could feel the eyes tracking her but it didn't make her self-conscious, just comfortable and warm. She found Arizona's gaze. _Very_ warm. She felt _very_ warm.

"You know, I could use a drink," Callie commented, her voice unintentionally hoarse with arousal. Tearing her eyes off the vision of a breathless Arizona Robbins on her sofa, she forced herself to look away. Her first instinct was to do something to make her even more breathless. So she turned her back and went quickly to the kitchen for water. "Wine?"

Arizona's voice was husky behind her and a shiver went down her spine. "Water's fine, Calliope." The tone of her voice made it clear that she knew her affect on the other woman. Callie was concentrating on the glasses of water so hard that she didn't hear Arizona rise from the couch, jumping when arms slid around her. "It's just me," she whispered, leaning her head against the back of Callie's shoulder.

"I'm glad it's you." Callie carefully held the glass of water up for Arizona to take.

Swallowing a sip, Arizona leaned against the brunette's back, pressing her against the counter. "So you've had lots of other people over here?" They hadn't discussed exclusivity, but she couldn't help herself asking.

Brown eyes rolled. "Don't be ridiculous." She was glad it was Arizona hugging her in her kitchen because she wanted it to be Arizona in her kitchen. But they hadn't talked about it. They were still just _casual_. She was really starting to hate that word though, hate the feeling that Arizona could being going out with someone else on nights she wasn't with her. Of course, Arizona had given her no indication that she had any desire to go out with anyone else, but she couldn't help wondering if she _would_. Because clearly there would be women lining up to date Arizona Robbins.

Hearing her answer, Arizona couldn't help a breath of relief. Anyone else sniffing around Calliope would make her crazy. But there would be people eager to take her place, she knew.

Instead of talking about it though, Callie just turned as she finished her water, cupping the blonde's face with both hands and kissing her slowly, the passionate heat that had been simmering between them all night building back up in the space of a few heartbeats. That's how it always was between them - the shocking heat, the _feeling_, was always just beneath the surface. It was like no other relationship she'd ever been in.

Arizona's glass almost promptly fell over as she unsteadily put it down blindly on the counter. Thankfully, it was empty and didn't make a mess. Strong Ortho hands slid over her sides, teasing the swell of her breasts and her sides, all the way down to her hips, gripping the back of her thighs to haul the blonde's body tight against her own.

"Calliope," Arizona ground out, fingers bunching in soft, dark hair. "I've been going crazy for you since I first saw you tonight!" She leaned in to nip sharply at her neck. "Take me to bed, already!" She squealed when strong arms hoisted her off the ground and carried her obligingly toward the bedroom.

Dropping her to the bed, Callie grinned as her blonde lover bounced against the mattress. Arizona immediately sat up to push the standing Callie's shirt up her body, dragging warm, wet kisses across her skin. "Off," she demanded between sucking kisses when she couldn't reach high enough to strip if off herself without standing up. She wanted to stay exactly where she was, worshiping the softest skin she'd ever touched.

Callie obeyed and did her one better, removing her bra at the same time. Arizona leaned back to get a better view. "You are _so_ fucking hot," she moaned appreciatively, hand shifting to the waist of her pants. She needed her naked _now_. And inside her.

Tan hands stripped the blonde's shirt over her head before moving to squeeze and roll her breasts. "Arizona…" she gasped, needy.

Arizona groaned out her agreement, "Naked." Callie's jeans fell past her knees and Arizona yanked her panties down to follow them to the ground, the brunette stepping clear of her clothes willingly.

"Now you," Callie pleaded, glad when Arizona undid her own pants and lifted her hips to shove them off to join her own scattered mess of clothing. She disposed of the remaining bra herself, tossing it uncaringly over her shoulder.

Catching the back of her neck, Arizona hauled her into a deep, wild kiss. Callie's hands on her hips lifted her suddenly and shifted her backward into the middle of the bed, taking immediate advantage of the added space and stretching her body out on top of her prone lover. Not in the mood for teasing after their night of dancing, Callie's fingers went straight for Arizona's clit. Even she was surprised by the wetness she found waiting on her. "Holy shit," she gasped into the kiss, tearing her mouth away to speak and breathing hard.

"I've been like that since the bar. You're sexy when you dance," Arizona explained through breathless panting, her body arching into the electric contact of Callie's fingers _almost_ where she needed them to be. "Please," she desperately pleaded. "In, please, I need…" Callie kissed her again as two fingers slid home, curling instantly and driving her impossibly higher. "_Fuck!_" Arizona ground out into a necessary gap for air, her hips rolling into the quick, hard thrusts Callie was giving her. This wasn't going to take much.

"Come for me," the Latina gasped, her body shifting quickly to back her thrusts. They might not have had the talk about seeing other people, about what rights now belonged to only them, but she was damn well going to make sure that Arizona _felt _it. Only she could touch her like this. Only she could make her feel like this. Her thumb on the blonde's needy clit finished her off, Arizona burying her face in her shoulder to muffle the pleasured cry.

Callie felt lips attach and suck on her skin at her throat, contact she was sure would leave a mark. She wasn't the only one marking her territory, apparently. She just hoped Arizona's more noticeable mark would be hidden by her shirt tomorrow at work. Arizona could just make something up about why she would be walking funny.

Going limp in bliss, Arizona gave her hickey a final lick of approval and flopped back against the bed. Callie pulled out slowly and her body mourned the loss. "Damn," she gasped, breathing hard. "Thank you."

Callie laughed, trailing her fingers up still clenching stomach muscles and between perfect breasts to suck the remnants of Arizona's orgasm from them. "My pleasure," she promised in a hum. And it would be because she intended to retrace the path her hand had just taken back down the blonde's body with her mouth just as soon as she was sure that Arizona wouldn't stop breathing and pass out. "I'll give you a minute before the encore," she said with a smug smile, loving Arizona's blue eyes going wide. She couldn't say it, but she was going to give Arizona no reason to think she needed to look anywhere else for anything she needed.

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><p>Happy Tuesday - let me hear it!<p> 


	7. Chapter 6

Flipping through the new charts at the nurses' station on the Peds floor, a particular name jumped out at Arizona and she pulled the chart out. "Excuse me, is this some kind of joke?" she requested, displaying the name to the nurse behind the desk. "Because she's an adult."

The nurse obliged her by leaning forward to read the chart. "No joke. Dr. Bailey admitted her this morning."

"And no one told me?" Arizona demanded, frowning. "What room is she in?"

"Third down on the left."

Arizona didn't even bother with the wheels in her heels, just ran down the hall and had to catch herself on the doorframe as she almost dashed right past it. "Oh, thank God it's you!" Callie said gratefully from the bed, pausing in the middle of trying to rip gauze bandages that were wrapped around both hands off with her teeth. "Get these things off of me!" she pleaded.

"What are you doing in here? Bailey admitted you to Peds? Why?" The reason was immediately apparent as she really looked at Callie's face, the red, itchy spots obvious even through her olive complexion. "You have chicken pox?"

"Apparently," Callie grumbled, resuming her efforts to pull the wrapping off her hand. "Can you help me with these gauze-paws, please?"

"How long have you been here?" Arizona questioned, moving forward to check her readings and testing Callie's forehead for fever with the back of her hand. "You're still warm, sweetie." They'd been dating for more than two months and pet names were becoming more common. "How did this happen?" Callie tried to pinch the tip of the taped mitten between her knees and pulled back against it, attempting to pull it off that way. "Stop doing that!" Arizona chided, finally noticing. "Who did that to you?"

Callie glared at her as though she'd done it herself. "_Your_ boy Karev."

"Well, good." Callie's glare sharpened and she jerked her head petulantly away from the blonde's cool hand. "It'll keep you from scratching."

"I _want_ to scratch! It itches, Arizona!" whined the brunette.

"You can't scratch," Arizona patiently countered. "It'll bleed, get infected, and scar. Will you please tell me how you ended up in my ward, now?" Callie was still grumbling under her breath, but her pout softened as Arizona settled on the side of the bed. "Don't growl at me like that, Calliope," she requested, tone mild. "I'm just curious how my girlfriend ends up on my floor and no one paged me."

The Latina's expression went slack for a few seconds, a slow smile growing in place of her previous frustrated expression. Well, that was an interesting slip of the tongue, wasn't it? They hadn't had the talk yet, but they hadn't been seeing other people either. She certainly felt like Arizona's girlfriend, wanted to be Arizona's girlfriend, just hadn't brought it up. After everything in Florida, learning that Arizona wasn't as in this as she was would be enough to make her swear off dating for at least the next year. And her life couldn't really be _that_ much of a disaster, could it? So she'd held her tongue, even with no indication that the blonde was anything but crazy about her.

"Girlfriend?" she asked, not bothering to hide her hopefulness. Arizona blinked as she realized what she'd said. Shit. They'd started using pet names, but the term girlfriend hadn't come up yet. Even though they'd both been wanting to bring it up. "Am I your girlfriend?"

A matching smile grew on the blonde's face. "Yes?" At least, she hoped she hadn't just made a giant ass of herself.

The way she said it made it sound like a question and Callie laughed. "Yes," she confirmed, growling again when her attempt to grab the collar of Arizona's scrubs and haul her in was foiled by the utter lack of coordination provided by her covered hands. "I know there are rules against kissing patients, but you need to kiss me right now."

It was clearly not something Arizona was allowed to argue with, and the Peds surgeon grinned. "You're in my ward, but you're not _my_ patient," she reasoned, leaning forward. "You're my girlfriend." Their lips met softly, but Arizona broke away to giggle when Callie's bandaged hands scratched against her face.

"It's not funny," declared Callie, grumpy again. "You can get me out of here, right? Let me go home?"

Arizona leaned back cautiously, hesitating. "You're contagious, Calliope." Brown eyes narrowed at her and the blonde stood up in reaction, unconsciously fearful. "You need to stay in here and not scratch, okay?"

"Are you backing away from me?" Callie frowned, cocking her head to the side to rub her ear against her shoulder in a search for relief from the itchiness. "Arizona Robbins!"

"I'm sorry!" the blonde yelped. "Stop scratching!"

"I'm rubbing!" countered Callie angrily. "Why are you backing away from me?" The annoyance faded from her expression slowly. "Are you going to catch it or something?" Arizona shook her head. "Why are you running away from me, then?"

Arizona blew her a kiss with both hands, still backing away slowly. "I wish I could stay, really, but I've got to round on some other patients." Even as she made her excuse, Alex Karev led a line of interns into Callie's room. "Or we're rounding on you now." She shot a look at her student. "Seriously? She's not even a surgical patient!" she hissed under her breath as she shoved the chart into his chest.

He made a show of grinning at them both. "Bailey told me to keep her here. We're the best equipped to deal with contagious disease. And don't you want Torres to have the best medical care available?"

"If you're telling me that your interns are the best medical care available, Karev…" Callie grumbled.

"We could turf you to Psych if you're not enjoying your stay in the surgical wing," Alex offered with a smirk. "Jones, present!"

Callie rolled her eyes as the intern rattled off her statistics and symptoms and suggested a treatment of bed rest and calamine lotion. "I'm going to kick both of your butts as soon as I can get out of here," she promised quietly when Arizona leaned over to kiss her forehead goodbye.

"Be good and you'll get a personal look at my bedside manner," Arizona whispered back, teasing. Her eyebrows bobbed as she backed away. "I've got to go on rounds right now but I swear I'll be back as soon as I can. Can I bring you anything?"

Callie's head shook from side to side. "I'll be fine. I'm actually really tired. And Teddy said she'd bring me something to read once she gets out of surgery."

Arizona threw her hands up in exasperation. "How did all of our friends know you were in here and no one told me?"

"Guess they just all like me better," Callie teased, winking and rubbing at her face with her wrapped hands.

Arizona wisely fled without a comeback before the groan of frustration could escape.

When she returned after her last surgery of the day, Callie was on her side, back to the door, and it wasn't immediately clear if she was asleep or awake. She shifted when Arizona slipped onto the bed behind her. "Mmh, what are you doing?" she murmured, moving to give the blonde more space. Then hands were rubbing circles down her arms, the gentle pressure soothing the incessant itching. "Oh my God," she gasped breathlessly, body pushing back into Arizona's instinctually in an effort to get more contact, more heat, more pressure.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."

Laughing quietly, Arizona leaned over to speak into her ear. "You're very sweet, but Arizona is just fine."

"Rubbing! More rubbing," Callie pleaded, breathing hard. "God, it feels so good! Arizona!"

The blonde nudged against the back of her neck, grateful that she could do something to bring Callie some relief. "I won't stop, babe. It's okay." Her voice was barely audible, just slow, soft, warm breaths against the back of her ear, the light contact drawing a strangled groan from Callie.

"Your bedside manner is incredible," she ground out between clenched teeth, struggling against the many sensations sending streaks of lightning through her entire body. "Better not be this incredible with anyone else." Arizona's touch was setting her on fire. She was going to combust, she was sure of it. No one could be this warm and not be on fire.

Then lips touched her neck and she could have exploded. She couldn't have said where she was or what day it was, she just knew that Arizona was the only person in her life that had ever made her feel anything like what she was feeling now. And it wasn't the fever boiling her blood. It wasn't the itching that was driving her out of her mind. Anyone else rubbing her itchy pox would feel good she was sure, but it was knowing that it was Arizona touching her that made the sensation completely out of this world

"Turn over and I'll get the other side," Arizona coaxed, dragging her lips across Callie's ear. Callie reacted like she'd been shocked, shifting to her other side in a heartbeat and capturing Arizona's lips without a second of hesitation. The kiss almost knocked the unprepared blonde off the bed and she clung to the front of Callie's shirt to keep from pitching over the side. Callie's tongue in her mouth was surprising, but not unwelcome. However, the gauze-paws on her face distracted her again, making her laugh unwittingly.

Callie growled as the kiss broke, a giggling blonde head burying itself in her chest. Before she could protest though, Arizona's hand was resuming the soothing pressure down her arm. "You could cover more ground if I was on my back," the Latina suggested, voice thick and hoarse.

Arizona lifted her head to smirk, shaking her head in warning. "You know I would love that," oh _how_ she would love that, "but I don't think it's wise to give my boss who hates me a free opportunity to catch us in the act."

Grumbling, Callie scowled. "Damn Stark. I've got freaking chicken pox and now I get no loving. This is not fair!" After a moment, her pout relaxed. "Do you need to get out of bed? This isn't the most professional thing we've done in the hospital."

"But it's not the _least _professional thing we've done in the hospital," countered Arizona with a smile. "Remember that time in the nursery supply room?"

Callie could feel her blush even through the heat of her fever, memories of them almost getting caught with their hands in the other's scrubs flashing through her mind. "So close to so many babies," she mused thoughtfully. "It's not right."

"We haven't gone there again," Arizona offered in comfort, laughing helplessly. "We restrain ourselves to non-child populated floors."

"Which means we cannot have sex in this bed." Callie sighed overdramatically. "But you owe me when you let me out of here!"

Arizona agreeably nodded. "Deal." Her hands were tracing random invisible patterns across arms and hips and legs. "How are you feeling?"

Shifting under her lover's hands, Callie's moan was an answer in itself. "I'm going to need you to never stop touching me," she requested. "It's like I'm burning up."

"I think that's mostly the fever, sweetheart."

A quick rap on the glass door of Callie's quarantine room made them both sigh in frustration and Arizona sat up as they heard the hiss of the door sliding open. Alex Karev's voice was quiet from the other side of the curtain. "Sorry, Stark's coming. Just wanted to warn you."

"Is he looking for me?" Arizona exchanged glances with Callie.

"I think so," he said regretfully. "Something about charts. Some intern did something on them that he doesn't like so he needs someone to bitch at."

"Can't you take it? I'll owe you," offered Arizona desperately.

"It's your turn," he countered. "I got reamed for that infant open heart surgery we didn't call him in on yesterday."

Cursing under her breath, Arizona offered Callie an apologetic look. "Go ahead," Callie said, nodding her head toward the door. "I'll be fine." They kissed quickly before Arizona slid off the bed, the blonde laughing again as Callie tried and failed to touch her face through the wrapping on her hands. "It's not funny," she growled, Arizona giggling as she edged toward the door.

"I know, I know, it's not funny." Arizona gave her a dimpled smile in an attempt to appease her girlfriend. "I'll come in before rounds tomorrow? Bring you breakfast?"

"You'd better," grumbled Callie. "Leaving me in here with these stupid things on my hands," she could hear Alex laugh from the hall, "I know where you live, Karev!" she called more loudly.

Arizona shook her head with a laugh. "Okay, well you get some rest and _please_ try not to scratch." She blew a kiss across the room. "Good night, Calliope."

Callie's smile was soft as she met Arizona's eyes. "Good night, Arizona."

Arizona's smile lasted until she slid the door closed behind her only to turn around and be face to face with Stark. Karev was nowhere in sight. The coward. "Ah, Dr. Stark, good evening." He just eyed her with an unpleasant expression on his face. "Is there something I can do for you?" she asked cautiously, sure she was going to regret asking.

"I have a question for you, Dr. Robbins," he started, superior tone already in place. He started walking down the hall, obviously expecting her to follow him. "Do you feel it's appropriate to spend personal time in a patient's room?" She opened her mouth to speak, but he was continuing before she could explain. "And particularly on a floor populated mostly with impressionable children?"

"Excuse me?" Arizona questioned, brows drawn together as she frowned at his implication.

He waved off her concern with a scoff. "Please, Dr. Robbins. I know you like to consider me a heartless, severe man because I do my work and only my work, but I'll remind you of just that fact before you accuse me of judging your relationship with Dr. Torres." His face was still serious and stern. "I don't care what you do with Dr. Torres. I care only that it is happening on my Peds floor. And while she is admitted as a patient." Turning on his heel, he was walking away before she could come up with a rejoinder.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Arizona picked it up, trying to figure out if she was more stunned or annoyed until she saw the caller ID. "I'm right outside your room, are you okay?"

"Did Stark bust you?" Callie was whispering and her voice was muffled.

"Are you hiding under the covers?" Arizona asked instead, laughing despite herself.

"I don't want to get busted too! It's not my fault if you can't sneak out of your girlfriend's room without getting caught! What did you learn in high school?"

"Calliope…" There was muffled laughing on the other end of the line. "Do you need anything? I'll come back."

Pillows and sheets swished softly as Callie moved in the bed. "I want you to, but no," she finally said softly. "You don't need to get in any more trouble because of me. But don't forget about my breakfast."

Arizona couldn't help laughing, keeping herself quiet in deference to the sleeping children. "Of course not. You get some rest, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

"I lo-" Callie stopped herself abruptly, yawning suddenly to cover the words she wasn't ready to say yet. Whoa. Figure out the girlfriend thing and later the same day bust out the three little words? It was too fast. And it couldn't be that easy… Or could it? Was anything in her life allowed to be so simple? Leave home for Seattle, get drunk with the hot blonde who'd flirted with her in the bar, find out that she worked at the same hospital and ask her out…

And then somewhere in the rush of surgery and dates and sex and getting to know the truly incredible Arizona Robbins, she'd come to need her, without even realizing it. But it wasn't something she could just _say_, was it? It had been so long since she'd actually told another person that she loved them… And was what she felt for Arizona love? Could it happen that fast? And so simply? Nothing in her life had ever been as simple as falling for Arizona.

She had always been the first one to say it before, though, and it had always burned her. She knew she fell into things too fast, she always had. But for the first time, it didn't feel like she was dancing on the edge of something dangerous. Passionate and intense, yes, but simultaneously comfortable and steady.

Still, she bit her tongue.

"Good night, Arizona." Her yawn covered the gap and if her girlfriend had noticed the strange silence, she didn't say a word.

"Good night, Calliope."

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><p>Feedback is appreciated!<p> 


	8. Chapter 7

Arizona tousled her hair as she released it from the braids she wore under her scrub cab. Karev really was coming along. She'd barely had anything to do in surgery. For four hours. He gave her a happy grin as he came out of the scrub room and they exchanged high-fives. "Great job, Karev. You rocked it."

"Thanks," he said earnestly. "I'm going to go take a shower and then I'll go sit on the post-ops."

She gave him a nod, laughing. "Take your time, Alex. You've earned a few minutes to relax. And those post-ops won't be ready for a while." She clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Good work."

He grinned as he turned to jog toward the locker room, sidestepping quickly around Callie as she entered the OR hallway. "Hey, Torres! See ya later!"

Callie laughed, head turning to watch him flee. "Okay…" she said slowly. She looked back at Arizona, the blonde shrugging with an amused smile. "Hey, you. I was looking for you." Both hands were winding her long hair into a tight knot and putting her favorite red patterned scrub cap over her head.

Arizona stepped forward off the wall and signaled her girlfriend to turn around so she could help her tie it. "Well, here I am. And don't you have a surgery?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I wasn't looking for you," Callie answered her, turning to kiss her quickly as Arizona finished with the strings. "I guess yours went well?"

"Alex was perfect," Arizona said with a proud smile. "He nailed it."

"You're a good teacher," Callie said, proud herself of her girlfriend. "How about you come over tonight?" Arizona's eyebrows rose, a crooked smirk growing on her lips. "I want to cook for you."

Arizona hummed in consideration, though she was still smirking. "What did I do? I must have done something good to get a home cooked meal."

Callie nodded her head slowly, smiling back at her. "Well, I actually want to impress you for a change. And I make a very good chicken picatta."

"Say no more," Arizona interjected. "I'm in." Callie grinned and started to pass her into the scrub room. Arizona hooked two fingers in the back of her shirt, pulling her to a stop in the doorway. "Though, for the record, I'm already impressed, Calliope." The kiss she got as a thank you pushed her back against the doorjamb and Arizona was breathless as Callie released her. "I've got some time. Would you mind if I watched your surgery?" she asked, grinning.

Blinking in surprise, Callie nodded. "Of course I don't mind." She arched an eyebrow. "You don't think carpentry is boring?" She didn't kid herself. She knew how her specialty was seen. It didn't matter that she was a rockstar with a scalpel.

Arizona's brows furrowed at her, a frown crossing her pretty face. "Calliope, what you do is not carpentry," she rebuked her. "You're like… an artist."

Callie laughed, rolling her eyes. "An artist, right… Okay, sweet talker, I've got to scrub in now."

Arizona didn't let her go, shaking her head at her girlfriend. "You don't see yourself as a carpenter. You're awesome and you know it. So what's the deal? You don't think I'd want to watch you work?" Callie's doubtful expression and the slight shrug of her shoulders clearly said she that she hadn't expected that Arizona would want to watch her surgery. Glancing around to ensure they were alone, Arizona backed Callie against the other side of the doorway, hands on her hips boxing her in. "Calliope, you rebuild bones. You make people walk again. Like God…" Dimples popped as she smiled slowly, leaning up on her toes so that their lips were close. "It's _so_ hot to watch you work."

Swallowing hard, Callie could see the blue of Arizona's eyes darkening. "Really?"

The blonde nodded, head tilting as she leaned in. "I'll come over tonight and you can find out just how hot it is," she promised, lips dragging across Callie's as she spoke.

Callie was the one to lean forward, connecting their lips for a thorough kiss. She was also the one to pull away reluctantly a minute later. "I would _love_ to keep doing that, babe, but I really do have to scrub in."

Arizona nodded. "I'll be in the gallery for as long as I can. But I'll see you tonight," she promised, taking a final quick kiss. She stepped back, but left Callie with a quick slap of appreciation on her butt and a cheeky grin over her shoulder.

A few interns were already sitting in the gallery, reading and watching the patient get prepped, but there were a few seats in the front that would give her a view. Callie glanced up at her before she started, Arizona able to see the smile crinkle the corners of her eyes even though her mouth was hidden behind her mask.

She didn't get to watch all of the procedure, having her own patients she needed to check on, but just as she'd known it would, the experience of watching Callie work, watching her long, strong fingers moving with such skill and confidence, the same skill and confidence Calliope displayed in everything she did, left her almost dizzy with want. Fortunately for her patients, the immediacy of her desire was tempered by distance and time, leaving Callie to her work for both of their sakes.

But by the time the apartment door opened that night to the smell of roasting chicken Arizona melted into her girlfriend's arms. "Tired, babe?" the Latina questioned, kicking the door closed with a foot as she smiled down into blonde curls.

"Hungry," came the answer, voice muffled by the fact that she hadn't lifted her face from Callie's shoulder. Both arms wrapped themselves around her girlfriend's waist. She was _really _comfy to snuggle up to.

"Well, great, because dinner's almost ready," Callie assured her with a chuckle. She offered the glass of white wine she'd already poured. "Just sit wherever you want and I'll bring it to you."

Arizona moaned in appreciation, straightening up to take a sip. "Oh, you're a saint, Calliope."

She shuffled toward the couch and missed the frozen grimace on her girlfriend's expression. If only Arizona knew the truth she wouldn't say things like that. Pushing it out of her head, Callie went back to the kitchen to pour the sauce on the chicken and serve some up for them.

Arizona was distracted from her girlfriend's sudden reticence by filling her in about her cases from the day, including one that would likely benefit from an Ortho consult. "Yeah, sure, I'll come by in the morning," Callie said distractedly.

"Or we could just go in together in the morning," suggested Arizona with a curious look.

Callie blinked, realizing that she had blanked out. If she wasn't more careful she was going to mess up her life in Seattle the same way she'd messed up her life in Miami. She offered an apologetic smile, leaning in for a soft kiss. "Baby, I'm sorry. I wanted this to be nice and I'm screwing it up…"

Arizona shook her head with a smile. "You made me dinner, Calliope. So you're a little spacey tonight. So what? It's still a nice night." She shrugged. "I can't say I won't be a bit disappointed if you'd rather I not spend the night, but…"

"Oh shut up," Callie declared, shoving her shoulder with one hand, Arizona giggling and balancing her wineglass on her knee skillfully. "I want you to stay, moron."

"Oh, that's nice!" Arizona countered, though she was still laughing as she turned and leaned herself back against Callie. The brunette looped an arm around her waist to keep her close and Arizona traced fingers lightly up and down her forearm and hand. "This is nice," she sighed. "Thank you for dinner. It was super delicious."

"Ooh, I earned a super," teased Callie, feeling better as she nuzzled her nose into the blonde's neck. "I'll have to try harder with dessert."

Arizona just settled in deeper against her. "There's dessert?"

"If you'll let me get up and get it," Callie prompted with a laugh.

Arizona stayed where she was, not moving from her spot against Callie's side. "I'm digesting," she said simply. "And comfy."

"Okay, well you just let me know when you're ready for sweets then, alright?"

"Mmkay," Arizona sighed, taking a sip of her wine. She kept up tracing her fingers across Callie's skin. "You know what I love?" Callie made a interested noise. "This thing you do with your sleeves. You do it with your lab coat too. You always have your sleeves rolled up. It's hot," she declared, feeling Callie smile against her neck, soft breath shifting her hair. She enjoyed the comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying her wine. It was a really good white, apparently something Callie had noticed was her preference. "You know something else I've noticed? You never talk about home. Or your family, friends, anything about Florida. The most I know about your life in Florida is that you used to live in Florida."

Callie held her breath for a moment before she let it go with a soft sigh. "What do you want to know?" she offered. She didn't know if she could admit the truth, but she resolved not to lie any further to Arizona. She didn't want to make it any worse that she already had.

"Well, how about you start with family," Arizona suggested. "What do your parents do?"

The Latina smiled in spite of herself. "My dad owns a chain of hotels. My mom does the socialite, charity dinner, rich housewife thing," she said, glad Arizona couldn't see the embarrassment on her face. Her parents' money had affected every relationship she'd ever had. She didn't want it to ruin this one.

"Whoa. So your parents are loaded?"

"Pretty much," she acknowledged hesitantly, a corner of her mind relieved to note that she hadn't been included in Arizona's question. Her parents were rich. She was not. Not since they'd cut her off.

"And their oldest daughter is a doctor. That's awesome," Arizona said, earnest. "They must be so proud of you!"

Callie sighed again, kissing behind Arizona's ear instead of responding immediately. "They like the doctor thing," she hedged finally.

Arizona leaned her head to give Callie more space to kiss her, feeling a strong arm hauling her in even tighter. "And the fact that you date women?" she asked softly, taking an educated guess about the part of their daughter's life that they might not be so approving of.

"Yeah, they're less thrilled about that part," Callie confessed, kissing Arizona's neck again.

"Is that why you don't talk about them?"

"They don't talk to me," answered Callie, breathing the words against her girlfriend's neck. "Even before I moved here, they haven't spoken to me in years." Her eyes fell closed. "I'm not saying it's all their fault, though. I made a lot of mistakes before I left. I'm still trying to fix them." Her breath was heavier against Arizona's skin, a deep breath she released quickly. "I'm not proud of who I was in Miami. My life was a wreck, I was a complete mess…"

"Shh," Arizona hushed her, squeezing the arm under her hand. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'm not pushing you, Calliope. I just, I want to know you, everything about you, because I care about you. But only what you can share." She turned her head back toward Callie's, nudging her nose against a smooth, tan cheek. "I'm not going anywhere. Plenty of time to learn the rest," she promised.

"Arizona-" Callie started to say.

A moment later though, she leaned forward and stood up, pulling herself out of Callie's arms. "It's okay. But now I've ruined the mood, so I'm getting dessert. Where did you say it was?" Arizona questioned, smiling over her shoulder.

Callie sat up slowly, smiling at her girlfriend. "They're on the stove under the tin foil. You'll see them," she said, smile widening when Arizona gave her an excited squeal when she pulled their treats out from under their cover.

"You made cannolis?" She looked at Callie with a wide-eyed smile. "You're _so_ awesome!"

She rushed back to the couch with the plate and flopped back down beside Callie. "Glad to hear you like them because I've never made them before and it was a chore." Arizona grinned at her. "Worth it, though," she added, taking a kiss.

"Glad to hear that I'm worth it," Arizona teased lightly, plucking up a cannoli and offering it to Callie. "Bite." She took the next bite, moaning appreciatively as she licked the cream off her lip. "Oh God, I'm in love with these." Callie laughed. "I meant…"

"No, it's fine," said Callie, winking at her. "I'm in love with them too."

She leaned back to chew on her next bite and Arizona hooked the front of her shirt to haul her back in. "I might like these cannolis, Calliope, but you have _no idea_ how much I like the girl who has the cannolis."

"Okay, sweetheart. No sucking up required. Just let me have another bite," she requested, letting Arizona hold the last bite of the first cannoli up for her.

The blonde let out a deep breath as she leaned over, retaking her position and leaning against Callie. "Thank you, babe. Dinner and dessert was perfect." She sighed gratefully when Callie snuggled her closer. "What do you want to do tonight? I'll do anything you want."

Callie hummed in consideration. "That sounds promising," she whispered. "But what if I said I just want to make out on the couch before we go to bed?"

Arizona didn't even hesitate. "As if I'm going to say no to _that_," she scoffed. She felt lips on her neck immediately. "Nngh, no fair," she protested, moaning. "I want to kiss you too!" Callie's grip just tightened on her, warm lips engulfing more of her skin with each kiss. Arizona whined in complaint, but her head fell to the side in spite of her words. "Okay, so by 'make out' you meant 'give me a hickey,'" she reasoned out loud, voice breathy.

"I'm not going to give you a hickey, Arizona," Callie murmured against her neck, licking a trail up toward her ear. The blonde's whining groan repeated itself when hot lips closed around her earlobe. "I have _some _self control," she breathed into her ear.

"Not too much, I hope," Arizona gasped in reply.

* * *

><p>Who's got a guess on the secret? Anyone?<p> 


	9. Chapter 8

Unfortunately, parties in Miami were not cooperating, and by the time she'd been in Seattle for three months there had been little forward movement on her issue. But she and Arizona were growing closer every day. They spent every moment together that they could, though the blonde hadn't questioned her girlfriend's reticence to talk about her past in Florida since their initial conversation about it. They talked, but they didn't talk about _that_.

The issue of privacy was taken out of both of their hands by Owen Hunt, however. Seattle Grace's Head of Trauma was innocent of intention, though. He'd merely offered his protégé a job. He didn't know that it was bringing Callie's past into screeching collision with her present and what she wanted to be her future. So Owen was surprised when she charged into his trauma room in the middle of an ongoing case and barked at him, "You hired George O'Malley? Without even saying anything to me?"

He looked up from his work, deep lines between his brows furrowing as he frowned at her. "Excuse me? Why would I say something to you about Dr. O'Malley?" Over the last few months they'd become friends as she became a bigger and bigger part of Arizona's life.

Callie stomped around the table and tugged his head down to growl into his ear, "Because he's my husband!"

His blue eyes were wide as he leaned back, his hands still over his patient. Clearly she'd shocked him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. How could you hire him?"

"He called me about a job. He didn't mention…you." He was genuinely confused. "Your name is Torres. How was I supposed to know?"

Callie scoffed. "Callie O'Malley! Seriously! You think I'd do that to myself?" She pointed at him sternly. "And before you think anything - we were married for three months and he cheated on me, we've been separated for something like eleven months, I filed for divorce before I came here and I haven't told Arizona yet, so if she…"

"I'm officially out of it," he declared, lifting both gloved hands. "Callie…"

"I'm going to talk to her. When is he getting here?"

He grimaced, brow still deeply furrowed. "Should be anytime now. Callie, really, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

She sighed, shoulders slumping as she tried to relax some of her frustration. It wasn't his fault. And there was only so much she could do since George refused to sign the divorce papers. Belatedly, she wished she'd told Arizona the truth before her hand had been forced. Too late now. "It's not your fault. Just, if you see him…"

"Absolutely," he agreed. "I believe Arizona just got out of surgery."

"She did. I'm heading up there now," said Callie. "Sorry about snapping, Dr. Hunt. I'm just…"

"It's forgotten, Torres."

Callie turned on her heel and walked quickly from the room, anxiously pushing the button for the elevator. She was relieved to see Arizona on the other side as the doors slid open. "Hey, I was looking for you," she said quickly, the blonde's happy smile fading as she noticed her partner's stress.

"Okay," Arizona agreed slowly, stepping forward off the elevator and taking Callie's hand. She turned when a new voice interjected.

"You must be the woman who's sleeping with my wife."

Shit. Shit. Shit. _Fucking _shit.

Arizona's expression tightened and her gaze flickered between Callie at her side and the man facing them. He was shorter than either of them, with cropped dark hair and a scowl on his face. "Damn it, George," Callie grumbled.

"He's your _husband?_" Arizona breathed in disbelief, the edges of her world cracking. The tone in Callie's voice was all she needed to hear to know that it was true.

"_No_," growled the brunette, unconsciously holding tighter to her girlfriend's hand. "He _was_, but we're separated because he _cheated _on me. We've been separated almost a year. And as soon as you sign the damn papers, we'll be divorced!" Turning and sidestepping to put her back on George and herself in between him and Arizona, she leaned down to try and meet the blue eyes she lived for. "Will you go somewhere and talk to me? Please?" Arizona wouldn't meet her eyes and shook her hand free of Callie's, but she didn't run. "Baby…"

"Don't," the blonde interjected hoarsely. "I-I need some time here, Callie."

Her shortened name on Arizona's lips broke her heart, but Callie nodded, stepping back slowly, giving Arizona space to escape. "He cheated on me. He slept with his best friend, lied to me about it, but won't sign the papers." She sighed. "I was trying to get it all straightened out before I told you."

"Stop," Arizona interrupted again, shaking her head. "I can't do this right now." She stepped backward, both hands fidgeting with the edges of her lab coat.

"Okay." Callie nodded reluctantly. "Can I come over tonight? I'll explain anything you want."

Arizona's eyes were drawn irrepressibly to the waiting man, the man who'd just wrecked her life as she knew it, her life as she liked it. "I need some time," she repeated, backing away. "I just…"

Callie watched her go with a sinking rock in her chest. When a hand touched her shoulder, she jerked herself away forcefully. "Don't you _ever_ touch me," she ordered in a growl. "I have a girlfriend and you're with Izzie." She spun on him. "What the hell are you even doing here? You'd better say signing the papers or else I'm going to kill you."

"I want us to work it out," George answered her.

Callie rolled her eyes. "That's not one of the options," she said flatly. "That hasn't been an option in a very long time, George. Resign your job here and get back to Florida. Izzie's probably starving for attention without you there to suck up to her." Her shoulder hit his as she edged around him and she did nothing to soften the blow. All of her frustration was back and she prayed for a bone breaking case to distract her.

Unfortunately, she got enough bone breaking cases to keep her at the hospital until leaving made no sense and she resolved to just crash in an on-call room. Going back to her apartment was just a depressing thought. And since Arizona hadn't answered a single one of her dozens of phone calls she had a feeling that going to Arizona's house wasn't her best option either. And either the blonde hadn't come in to work or she was the craftiest woman in the world because there was no sign of her the entire next day either. Thankfully for him, Callie managed to just as effectively dodge George O'Malley.

Even exhausted as she was, the second Callie was off work she went to Arizona's house, too worked up after two days of no contact to do anything else. They'd long since exchanged keys, but Alex intercepted her before she could enter the house. "She's worked up. She doesn't want to see you right now, dude," he informed her. Callie didn't flinch, arms crossing her chest. "You're not going away, are you?" She just shook her head. "Okay, I'll get you a blanket. It's supposed to be pretty cool out tonight. And rainy."

"Wonderful," Callie muttered, sighing. "Alex," she called him back as he turned to go back inside the house. "Is she okay?" He faced her again slowly. "Not is she mad at me, but is she okay?"

He took a deep breath, his expression serious. "I don't think she is." His eyes found hers and it was clear whose side he was on. "Torres, what's she in for, here? I want to know how bad it's going to get for her."

Callie shook her head. "I don't know what you've heard, but I love her." She blinked and tears came to her eyes. It was the first time she'd ever put those three words out loud to her feelings for Arizona, but it was the truth. However they'd found each other, no matter that everything they'd made together was threatened now because of her own silence, even if she couldn't make Arizona understand the depth of her feeling, she still loved the other woman completely. "Karev, I love her. All I want from George is a divorce and for him to go back to Miami." She took a shaky breath. "I need Arizona."

He studied her face for a long moment, trying to read her expression. He could see her desperation, her obvious sorrow, her frustration. He wouldn't let anyone hurt Arizona if he could stop it, but he had a feeling that only this woman could stop what was paining her now. But she'd get in over his dead body if she was going to hurt Arizona again. She appeared sincere though. Finally, her conviction touched him and the younger man nodded, his expression still brusque. "I guess I don't have to tell you to wait here," he mused, turning again to go inside.

Arizona's bedroom door was closed, but it wasn't latched and swung open when he knocked. The blonde was a barely distinguishable lump in the middle of the bed, sniffles muffled by the layers of blankets she'd wrapped around herself. "Go away."

"She's outside," Alex informed her instead. "And it really looks like she's prepared to camp on the porch." He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe while she considered.

The woman she loved had a husband. Damn it all to hell. They hadn't said the three little words but she thought they'd been close to it. At least, _she_ loved Callie. And she thought it was reciprocal. But who the hell knew anymore. Because her girlfriend had husband. _Fuck_. For all her rules - keep it simple, no newborns, don't get personal at work - her girlfriend still had a husband. And had broken a few of her rules too, damn it. It was all too much to deal with. And seeing Callie right now wouldn't help either one of them.

"I - get her out of here, please." His mouth opened to protest but she hiccupped back a sob and he thought better of it. "I can't see her right now, Alex."

He nodded, arms crossing his chest. "Okay, boss. I'll take care of it."

Callie was already sitting on the porch swing when he returned and she looked up at him with a sigh. "I know she doesn't want to see me but I'm not going anywhere, Karev."

"I figured," he grumbled gruffly. He paused for a moment, considering her. She'd unmistakably screwed up, but he was no stranger to relationship flubs and he found himself sympathetic. He normally had much less remorse about the crap he pulled than she was showing. And he'd seen the affect they had on each other. Callie was good for his friend. "Come on, Torres." He nodded back toward the door. "But my room is at the top of the stairs, so stay the hell away from her tonight."

"Fine," she agreed, grateful that she wouldn't be spending the night on the wooden porch swing. "Thank you, Alex."

"Seriously, hurt her again and I'll kick your ass," he stated, leaving her in the living room without looking back at her.

The night was uncomfortable, sleep not easy to come by under the weight of the guilt at what she'd done to Arizona, as well as frustration at George for showing up to ruin her life when things had been _so_ good. Karev peeked around the banister first thing in the morning, looking almost surprised to see that she was still there.

"I said I wasn't going anywhere," she reminded him without moving her hand off of its place covering her eyes.

"I figured you were going to bail. That couch sleeps like a _bitch_," he said, his steps stomping down the stairs.

Callie sat up with a groan, stretching sore muscles. He wasn't wrong about the sofa. "The first night I ever met her, we had sex on this couch," she said completely without thinking.

Pausing on the way to kitchen, Alex sent her a look. "Dude, she's like my sister and hearing about that is going to ruin girl sex for me. Shut up!"

She snorted, standing up. "We're going to ruin girl sex for you? Two hot girls have sex on your couch and that ruins it for you? There's something wrong with you!"

"Not girls having sex! You - no! We're not talking about this! Don't make me regret letting you in here, Torres," he said, glaring at her as he poured coffee for himself. He poured in sugar without looking at it, stirred it with a spoon while he considered her, leaning against the counter in front of the coffeemaker. "You going to try and talk to her?"

"She's why I'm here," answered Callie seriously. "Do you think she'll talk to me?"

"I guess you want me to talk to her first, try and find out…"

She sighed, arms wrapping around herself unconsciously. "I need her to be okay. I love her."

He matched her sigh with one of his own. "Okay, I think I get it. Stow the mushy shit, please." She rolled her eyes at him. "Shouldn't you be nice to me? I let you inside my house!"

"I have a key, Karev," she shot back.

"I'm still helping you," he reminded her, turning back to the counter and pouring another cup of coffee and mixing it the way he knew Arizona liked it.

He was in the doorway with the coffee before she spoke again, "Thank you, Alex."

* * *

><p>I'll be hiding now - let me hear it? Any of you guess it? I got a couple guesses for 'husband' but mostly I saw Erica - I don't recall anyone guessing George...<p> 


	10. Chapter 9 pt 1

Arizona didn't look up when Alex knocked on her door, but the knob hadn't click after the last time she'd gone to the bathroom for more toilet paper (her bathroom was entirely out before midnight of the first day) and the door swung open. "Go away, please."

"Arizona…" Her first name from Karev was rare and it made her listen despite herself. "Torres loves you."

"She's married," the blonde countered, sniffling. "To a man."

"So you don't know everything about each other. That gets old fast," he argued. "She's getting divorced. And she loves you."

Arizona's head appeared slowly, hair disheveled, eyes red and swollen. "How do you know that?"

He shrugged almost casually, moving into the dark room and putting her coffee on the nightstand. "She just told me so. Two minutes ago. And last night on the porch."

"Really?"

"Yes," he stated. "Will you talk to her? Just give her a chance to explain? And if you don't like what you hear, I promise I'll throw her cheating ass out myself."

"Hey!" Arizona's rebuke was short and sharp. "That's my girlfriend…" She trailed off as she realized the issue inherent in that statement and Karev stood up straight.

"Can I go get her now?"

A silent nod was his only answer and he turned to jog back down the stairs. Callie's head snapped up as he reappeared in the kitchen. "Is she okay?"

"She'll see you," he answered her, though his arm across the doorframe stopped her from going up the hall to the stairs. "I'll say this once. Most days Robbins is the only friend I've got. And if you make her cry anymore, ever, I'll kick your ass, Torres. Got it?"

"Yeah, got it," she agreed with a nod.

He stepped aside with a sigh, arms crossing his chest as he turned to watch her climb the stairs. He just hoped he hadn't made a mistake letting her go up there.

Arizona was buried under her blankets again when Callie appeared in her doorway and even confused and angry and upset, she was still beautiful. All she wanted to do was throw back the covers and beg her girlfriend to get in and just forget everything outside of this room. But she didn't. She stayed quiet and blinked back tears.

"Arizona," Callie sighed her girlfriend's name as she saw the tears, hating the pain she had caused the woman she loved. "I'm so sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything now, but I was always going to tell you. I just wanted to actually have the divorce…"

"So what happened?"

"George won't sign the papers. And apparently he knew Owen at some point and he pulled some strings to get a job here."

"For you."

Callie sighed. "I don't want him. We never should have gotten married. It was a mistake from day one. Him cheating just gave me an excuse to finally pull the trigger."

"So why'd you get married?" Despite herself, Arizona sounded curious and Callie took a cautious step forward. The room was dark and the floor surrounding the bed was littered with discarded tissues.

"His father died and he was upset, we'd been dating for a few months. He asked me and he was miserable, and I wanted to make him feel better."

"I'm sorry, but none of those sound like good reasons to get married," Arizona noted in a rough whisper, the blankets starting to slide off of her shoulders as she straightened up. "Do you love him?" Her heart was frozen and she couldn't blink, couldn't breathe.

Callie walked forward another few steps, stopping only a foot from the bed where Arizona was hiding. "No," she said simply, no waver or hint of doubt in her. "I don't love George. I love _you_." Arizona's blue eyes were wide, and Callie took a chance and sat down on the edge of the bed, relieved when Arizona didn't recoil from the proximity. "I never should have married him. And we should have never taken so long to get a divorce, but our families are both Catholic, and…"

"Are you really into women?" Arizona interjected, asking the next question that had the potential to wreck her life. "Or-or is it just a v-va-vacation in lesbian-land?" She couldn't meet Callie's eyes, couldn't risk seeing the truth in her eyes before she heard it out loud.

Taking a deep breath, Callie couldn't help smiling, knowing that she probably shouldn't, but the question struck her as utterly ridiculous, even in the middle of the situation they found themselves. Even after only a few months, she knew she'd never find another person, man or woman, like Arizona Robbins. "You're no vacation, Arizona," she promised, voice soft. "And you're not the first woman I've been with if that's what you're thinking."

Arizona looked up finally, her eyes searching Callie's face for any trace of doubt. There was none. "Really?" she questioned, voice high in surprise.

"The first's name was Erica," Callie shook her head, "We were in med school together. She was a T.A. for one of my classes. We were friends for a while, flirting before we realized what we were doing. We started dating, were together for a month and some stuff happened, she thought I wasn't taking her side like I should have, and she left me standing in a parking lot." She had to stop, swallow hard as her throat went dry. "But what she really couldn't handle was that I'm bisexual." Arizona blinked but didn't speak. "She didn't think it was fair that she had this big, sweeping realization about being a lesbian while I realized that I can love women or men." Her breath shook as she inhaled and then exhaled slowly. "I didn't want to lie," oh, the irony in _that_, she thought to herself, "so I came out to my family even after my girlfriend dumped me and they stopped speaking to me, cut me off."

In spite of everything that was happening, Arizona couldn't help feeling sympathy. Her coming out had been practically perfect, her parents supportive and understanding, her brother her own personal rock, caring and protective. "But you married a man…" she reminded her hoarsely, had to keep reminding herself. She loved Callie, was sympathetic, but it still hurt, still felt like a punch to the chest, making every breath feel like painful, hard work.

"I did," Callie agreed, clearly regretful. "And it was a mistake. Every day with him was a mistake. We went to Vegas, got married in the middle of the night with no one we knew there to see it. That didn't help my parents come around. And married to a man or not, I'm not going to lie about who I am so they still don't speak to me." She sighed heavily, fingers fidgeting nervously in her lap.

"You lied to me," whispered Arizona, her own gaze directed at her wall, her bedspread, anywhere but at the woman who could still shatter her heart.

Swallowing hard, Callie nodded. "I did. Arizona, I can never apologize enough for that. But when is too soon to share something like this? The first night we ever met? The first week?" Arizona peeked up at her hesitantly and Callie could feel her heart skip as their eyes met. "I wanted to tell you. I never wanted to hurt you, but I know that I have. And I'm sorry for that. But this, us, has happened so fast, and I fell for you pretty much that first morning when I woke up on your floor and you couldn't wait to get me out of there," she confessed, unable to hide her small smile. "Or it might have been when I saw you again in the ER waiting on that ambulance, all hung over and hugging your coffee cup, but it definitely started that day."

Arizona breathed deeply but was equally useless at keeping her own sliver of a smile restrained. "And I have been so happy with you, Arizona. I know I should have said something, and I have started to a hundred times…" Their eyes connected again, locking this time. "But when is the right time to say something like that? When is the right time to tell the woman you love that you have a husband who won't divorce you? I know I screwed it up, and I don't blame you if you never want to speak to me again, but I love you. I love you and not George. And I love you more than I ever loved George, or Erica, or anyone I've ever been with. Give me _one _more chance and I swear you'll never doubt that."

"Callie…"

"And you're not a rebound or anything like that, you never were," Callie continued, scared to let Arizona speak lest she destroy her. It was well within the blonde's rights, she'd lied, betrayed her trust, but she was still clinging to her desperate hope that she hadn't wrecked her life _again_. And so much worse than the last time. "George and I," Arizona flinched and Callie felt her heart break again, "we were a mistake. And I don't know why he's holding on so hard, but I moved out the day he finally told me the truth and we never saw each other outside of work. He never even tried to fix it or anything, not until I came here. And I was in Miami for _months_ before I got the job here and moved, and I don't know why he just decided to show up here _now_…"

"Callie…" Arizona's whisper of her name stopped her explanation, the blonde's fingers on her hand forcing the breath from her lungs. "Calliope…" Their fingers laced and she could feel her heart start to race in her chest. This was the edge of everything. One word from Arizona and the life she wanted was done. "Kiss me."

It wasn't one of the words she'd been expecting, but it wasn't an invitation she was going to deny - ever.

Leaning forward, her free hand cupped Arizona's cheek as she drew her in to meet her lips. The first touch sent a shock through them both, each pressing closer at the contact. This was how it was supposed to feel, this was how it was always supposed to feel. It was slow and simple and easy. It was home and they could both feel it.

Arizona fell back beneath her as Callie pushed her gently onto the mattress. They hit with a bounce, too tangled in each other to care. The kiss grew deeper, the passion held in control by the thinnest of threads. Then Arizona's hands were on her chest, pushing her back gently, fingers winding into the fabric of her shirt to keep her from withdrawing.

"Wait," she panted. "I want to - I need to say something," Arizona said in between breaths and scattered kisses that she couldn't help craning up to drag across Callie's neck. Part of her couldn't believe that she was letting this happen, but she didn't want to stop it, either. Callie could hurt her. There was no changing that anymore. But she was here, she was in her house, in her room, in her bed, apologizing, asking for another chance, and saying that she loved her, kissing her.

She dropped her head to meet Callie's eyes after a few moments. "Yeah?" Callie requested breathlessly, feeling lighter than she had in ages. The truth was out and she was still _like this_ with Arizona. It was more than she'd ever let herself hope for since she'd realized that she was falling hard and fast for the blonde. The next words out of her mouth still could break her, break them, but she wasn't going to walk away from this, not if there was a chance in hell that she could make this right.

"I love you," Arizona whispered. "I'm angry that you didn't tell me the truth, and I'm going to need some time to deal with that, but I do love you." Maybe she shouldn't but that didn't change that she did, completely. She traced one hand over the brunette's face. "I need to know though… I - is there _anything_ else you've neglected to tell me? Because if you lie to me again, we're done." She couldn't do anything about loving her, it was too late for that now, she didn't want to stop, but she couldn't just let someone else stroll up to her in the hall again and wreck her life. This, she couldn't do _this_ again.

Callie shook her head, no hesitation. "No, nothing. And I'm so, _so_ sorry that I never told you - I should have a long time ago, but it was… Coming here, finding you is the best thing that has _ever_ happened to me, Arizona, and I just didn't want to drop this on you on our second date when we were still getting to know each other…"

"And I can understand why you didn't tell me before." Arizona's smile was loving, if small and a little forced. George was here, in Seattle, and Callie was here, with her. That meant something. She had a choice and she'd picked her, picked _them_. "How could you know that your drunken hookup was going to become…"

"Everything," interjected Callie, quiet but earnest. "Arizona, you're everything."

"But if you ever lie to me again…"

"Never," Callie promised. It was an easy promise to make. She never wanted to hurt Arizona like that again. She had a feeling that her next second chance wouldn't come so soon if she screwed this up again. And she still had a hell of a lot to make up for.

Moaning lightly, Arizona pulled Callie down into a kiss, not holding anything back. They weren't done with this talk, but for now this was more important. However, not everyone knew that, and there was a knock on the door.

"Go away, Alex!" Arizona broke the kiss to call loudly. Waiting a second, there was no further noise and she dragged Callie back to her lips, a hand on her hips dumping the Latina onto her back and letting her pin her girlfriend to the bed. Then the knock repeated itself and she lifted her head with a groan. "Karev, we are _busy_! I will talk to you _later_!"

The door cracked open anyway and Arizona flopped onto Callie with another groan, the brunette unable to help laughing after her conversation with Alex in the kitchen. "Not my fault, boss," he stated, dutifully keeping his eyes averted though his voice was strained. "You left your pager - it's a 911…"

* * *

><p>Note: Okay, I know there are going to be mixed reactions to this one, but I wrote it based on how we've seen Arizona deal with relationship issues in the past on the show, which is mostly running away andor crying as opposed to screaming/hitting people. And though it bears a resemblance to the the Mer/Der/Addy situation from season 1/2/3, keep in mind that Callie is not Derek and Arizona is not Meredith, they're not going react the same way it happened on the show (and where would be the fun in that anyway, right?) Also, this one got hella long since I kept adding stuff to it, so it's been split into two parts...


	11. Chapter 9 pt 2

Here you go, maling... :) Since you asked so nicely - part 2!

* * *

><p>Groaning, "Oh no," Arizona turned over and sat up. "Which one is it?" Alex answered and Arizona's head dropped in disappointment. "Calliope, I'm so sorry, but I've got to go." She kissed her quickly. "Will you stay?" She was already out of bed and changing into clothes that didn't make it look as though she'd been pathetically sad sacking all day and night.<p>

"Of course," promised Callie, nodding. "Come home when you can."

Karev was on her heels as Arizona trotted down the stairs and he followed her outside. "Is it that bad or are you just trying to check on me?"

"Oh, I'm paged in too," Alex said, gesturing ahead of them to the driveway. "And your girl blocked us in," he sighed. Arizona pulled her keys out with a jingle, easily finding the spare key to Callie's T-bird. "Oh, hell yeah! Torres lets you drive her car? I'm riding in with you!"

The intern that had paged them in knew better than to call Stark as well and they went straight into surgery. In the rest of the hospital, an accident had the ER packed with patients. A school bus of students returning from a football game had been involved, so as soon as they were available they had more work to do.

The last thing Arizona wanted from the day was to find herself working across a table from George O'Malley. But that was exactly what she got. Retaining her professionalism was tricky when she just wanted to scream at this man who'd been foolish enough to betray Callie. But at the same time, if he hadn't, Callie never would have come to Seattle.

She kept her professionalism by keeping her quiet. So when George spoke up, it was a surprise. "She didn't tell you about me, did she?"

"Didn't mention you once," answered Arizona coolly, keeping her eyes focused on her work. After this surgery she could go home, go back to Callie. "Suction, please."

"She told me about you." Arizona glanced up at that declaration, surprised. "She cares about you."

"I love her too," she stated, subtly correcting him about their emotional status. Callie loved her. Her old life had come to their doorstep and she'd made her choice. "She told you about us, but you still came here? You still won't sign the divorce?" What the hell was that about? It's one thing to chase after someone right away, another to wait almost a year, until the other person was happy, to come after them.

"People make mistakes," he said simply, shrugging. "I cheated, she left, we've both made mistakes."

Biting her tongue, Arizona forced herself not to respond as she felt her frustration rising. She was in surgery. The kid on her table had to have her focus. "Dr. O'Malley, if you're done with your repair, I'm sure Dr. Hunt could use the help in the pit. I can wrap up here." Strictly speaking, a first year could wrap up here, but she didn't want to spend any more time with him. Being around him made her want to hit him with a brick.

She could feel his eyes on her, but didn't look up. She wasn't going to fight over Callie like a child over the open body of their patient. He could make all the claims he wanted, but Callie wasn't a prize to squabble over. And issues between Callie and George were between Callie and George. Huffing, he snapped his gloves off and left the OR without another word. Arizona took a deep breath to steady herself, refocusing on her work. Something drew her eyes up though, and she found Callie in the gallery watching.

Her arms were crossing her chest and her expression was unreadable from the operating floor. She was wearing scrubs, had obviously been called in to help with the chaos, but Arizona couldn't help wondering how long she'd been there, how much she'd heard. Callie could see the question in the blue eyes above her mask and she nodded reassuringly, smiling as she reached forward to touch the glass. She couldn't linger, she'd been paged to deal with the trauma like the rest of them, but Owen had given her heads up that her girlfriend was in surgery with her husband. She couldn't help herself - she'd had to come check on it with her own two eyes.

There was no reason to be worried, she could see now. Arizona had kept cool even after George had tried to bait her. She'd been a professional, every inch of her. And it was very hot. She could be jealous herself, had been on more than one occasion, but seeing Arizona refuse to doubt her, refuse to doubt their relationship at a moment when she knew the blonde was still angry, probably second guessing her and the decision to give her another chance, it made her feel calmer. They had to work some things out (and she had a lifetime of groveling ahead of her that she was happy to do), but watching her girlfriend stay steady helped. She realized Arizona was still looking up at her and she tapped the center of her chest lightly and pointed down at her girlfriend. She couldn't see the smile because of the mask covering the bottom half of her face, but she could see the light of it in the blue eyes that stared up at her.

The next time she found Arizona the blonde was leaning over the desk in the ER on her toes, checking the charts for any cases she could help with, and the feel of hands familiarly touching her hips and guiding her back onto her feet made her twitch until she recognized the strong grip. "You know, I think my car got stolen," Callie breathed into her ear as she pulled Arizona back against her. Her voice was low and husky against her skin and the blonde shivered unconsciously. "Teddy had to come pick me up."

"You blocked in me and Karev. And you gave me a key." She leaned back to look up at her. "Do you mind? I'm sorry."

Callie shook her head, dropping a kiss on Arizona's cheek. They were more affectionate at work than they had been in the beginning, but kissing in the ER without pulling a curtain or ducking into an on-call room was new territory. "You know I don't mind," she said. "Can I get a ride home with you, though?" She nudged her nose against a pale neck. "Whenever you can get out of here. I'm not on today, I just came in to help."

"I'm _more_ than ready to go, Calliope," Arizona stated immediately. She wanted to go home and sleep for a week after the last few days. Fingers laced through a hand at her waist. "Can I drive?"

Eyes rolling, Callie kissed her neck before she let the blonde go to pull them along. "Of course. Have I ever gotten to drive when you were around?"

"Nope!" answered Arizona cheerfully, so cheerfully that Callie couldn't help wondering if her girlfriend was over-exaggerating her fineness.

"I'm exhausted anyway," Callie said with a sigh, curling an arm through Arizona's as they waited on the elevator. Her head leaned over to rest on the blonde's shoulder. "Thank you for talking to me today. I know you didn't have to." She was well aware of how freaking lucky she was to still be standing at Arizona's side.

"Karev told me you were going to sleep on the porch."

Callie nodded, yawning. "He let me sleep on the couch. I think he likes us together. But I will still camp outside if you need me to prove something to you. You and George, it's not a choice. I choose you. I will always choose you."

The elevator opened in front of them but it wasn't empty, George looking up from his phone as the doors opened. The blonde went stiff, but Callie didn't even blink, didn't lift her head from Arizona's shoulder. "It's going to rain today," Arizona mused after a second, leading them onto the elevator. "No extreme gestures necessary." She kissed the top of the dark hair gently as George edged around her and exited the elevator car. Arizona waited until the doors closed behind him before she continued, "I want you with me, Callie, but if you need to go home…"

The double meaning was clear and Callie shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere but to bed with you, Arizona," she answered, voice soft but resolute. "I don't want an out here." She lifted her head to meet her eyes. "And you're mad, I deserve it. You can be mad. I love you and I will never stop telling you that."

"Do you want me to say I want you to sleep on the couch again?" questioned Arizona mildly. "I can't say that I'm happy that you have a _husband_, but if you say that you love me, I'm going to trust you." She blinked and her expression was serious. "Please don't make me regret it."

Callie shook her head. "Not going to happen," she stated. Her expression shifted into a rueful smile. "I have to confess, though, that if it was me in your position, I'd be jealous as hell." Arizona frowned and Callie continued quickly, "Not that you have anything to be jealous about. George O'Malley can't hold a candle to Arizona Robbins. I just get jealous. If your ex showed up looking to get you back, I'd be insane."

Arizona smiled unexpectedly. "Good to know," she said teasingly. "But for now I want to take you home and keep you close. No sleeping outside, or on the couch, or anywhere that's not with me, okay?" She was earnest now. "I already did the right thing and tried to give you an out. You didn't take it. So, if you're with me, we're together. And kissing is cheating and what I don't know _will_ hurt me, Calliope."

"Who am I going to be kissing but you?" Callie asked, moving forward to press Arizona against the wall of the elevator, one hand pulling the stop button before it planted itself next to Arizona's head, boxing her in. "Arizona, George can want whatever he wants from me, but I just want you." She paused, considering. "And a divorce," the blonde head nodded in agreement, "I will not be kissing him, or being alone with him, or probably even having civil conversation with him," she promised softly. She slowly leaned in, her voice even lower. "I _will_ be kissing you," she did just that, "being alone with you," another soft kiss, "and I will tell you anything at all that you want to know. No more secrets," she finished in a whisper, lips dragging against Arizona's as she spoke.

Arizona was the one to press forward and kiss her again, fingers in dark hair to hold her close. Callie's hips pushed hers into the wall, Arizona's other hand on her butt to encourage her. "We need to get home," Arizona gasped into a gap for breath, Callie capturing her lips without answering, though the thrust of her hips against Arizona's was an answer in itself. "I want you under me." Normally they didn't make a fuss about who was on top, just going with whatever felt good, but after today, the revelations of the last few days, Arizona wanted her girlfriend safely under her hands.

Callie groaned, breaking the kiss to nod her agreement. "Anything you want," she promised breathlessly.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Arizona declared, pushing the stop button back into the place and starting the car moving again. "You know, your apartment is closer," she mused as Callie stepped back to release her from the wall.

"Yeah, but I want to go home," countered Callie. Her apartment was just the place where her stuff lived. Her home was with Arizona. The dark blues that met hers clearly showed that Arizona was in the same state, a feeling that made Callie feel something like relief. Since their first meeting, they'd _affected_ each other in some way that was powerful and unlike anything else she'd ever had. It was what had kept Arizona from being a simple one night stand or a rebound.

"I love you," she said, knowing that it had been said already that day, but wanting to say it again, glad to know that she still had the chance to say it every day.

They were already half naked by the time they hit Arizona's bedroom door, the trail of clothes up the stairs and down the hall make it clear what was going on in the master bedroom. Not that Alex wouldn't already know. He was smarter than that.

Callie let herself be guided backwards toward the bed, knowing the way herself after so many nights here but knowing that Arizona needed control tonight. "I love you," she whispered again into a gap for breath, Arizona moaning against her lips. She'd said it more than once and it had yet to fail to get that reaction.

Following Callie to the mattress, they were barely balanced on the bed before she was inside her, having torn her panties down and off somewhere between the door and the bed. "I love you too," she answered, sucking on her neck. And maybe it was possible that she was feeling a little bit possessive too.

Hands on the back of her thighs enabled Callie to dump Arizona over onto her back without dislodging her pumping hand between her own legs. The Latina rolled them again before the blonde could remind her that she was in control of this encounter, maneuvering them so this wouldn't end with one of them falling off the bed. "I'm close," Callie gasped, curling one leg around the blonde's hips, moving her own against the firmly thrusting fingers inside her. That was Arizona's cue to move faster, hit deeper. "Oh, God, Arizona, please…"

She promptly curled her fingers, backing the thrust with her hips. "Come for me," she whispered, working on what was sure to be an epic hickey on the top of her lover's chest just over her heart. It wouldn't be visible at work beneath Callie's favored long sleeved t-shirts, but it was also undeniably marking her. Callie found that she didn't really care. Being possessed by Arizona Robbins was not something she was scared of.

Pitching over the edge, Callie muffled her moan in Arizona's shoulder, clinging to her with arms and legs. The blonde's thrusts didn't slow down or stop and Callie could feel a second peak quick on the heels of the first. She could just dig her nails in and ride it out, tears squeezing out of the corners of her eyes as her struggling lungs tried to catch up. It would probably be easier if Arizona wasn't sprawled on top of her, but she didn't want her to move, so it was a moot point.

The blonde nuzzled into her chest, a bit breathless and sweaty herself. "Oww," she whimpered. "Are you okay?"

Callie breathed deeply, nodding. "Yeah. What about you? Why'd you say oww?" She picked her head up and could see the red tracks she'd left on her lover's back. "Oh my God, get off. I need to check your back!" They both gasped as Arizona pulled out and rolled over, Callie sitting up and turning her gently onto her front. "Oh, baby," one hand covered her mouth, "I'm so sorry," she whispered, genuinely upset. She'd done enough to hurt Arizona this week.

Hearing the emotion in her girlfriend's voice, Arizona leaned up on her elbows to look over her shoulder at Callie, hissing as light fingers touched her back. "It's okay," she said before Callie could apologize again. "It's not bleeding, is it?"

"No," Callie admitted. That didn't mean it looked good, though. "Arizona…"

Arizona sat up with a grunt. "Stop apologizing. It was hot, Calliope." She turned so Callie couldn't stare at her back. "It's not like I wasn't going hard on you too. Did I hurt you?" Callie denied it immediately. Hurt was not even close to what she was feeling right then. "Well, you didn't hurt me either. So my back will sting a little bit tomorrow. You'll be walking funny too, so we'll match." Callie smiled at that and Arizona leaned forward to kiss her softly. Callie was disheveled, only half undressed, but she was undeniably gorgeous. And this, even with everything that had happened in the last few days, this feeling, the simple, easy feeling of being alone with Callie, it hadn't changed.

"I love you, you know that?" asked Callie hypothetically. "And I'm sorry I shredded your back," she added quickly when Arizona nodded.

Arizona huffed, shaking her head. "What's going to make you feel better about this? Do you want to put medicine on it for me?" Nodding, Callie started to slip off the bed and go get something from the bathroom, but Arizona caught her by the hand, dragging her back down into the bed. "I didn't mean now, Calliope. I meant after we're done. Because what's the point in doing it now if you're just going to scratch me up again later?" she asked with a smug smirk. It was kind of ridiculously hot that she could get Callie that worked up.

Laughing, Callie threw her head back, flopping back willingly into the sheets. Arizona followed her down, grinning. "No, but seriously, I'm not doing that again."

"We'll see," Arizona teased, kissing her way down her girlfriend's body.


	12. Chapter 10 pt 1

George didn't resign and leave town as Callie had suggested, but she was determined not to let his presence ruin her life in Seattle. She ate lunch with Arizona and their friends when she could, same as always, treated the inevitable cases that came into the ER that required both her and George working together with the utmost of her professionalism. She was resolute on her insistence that their marriage had been a mistake, but he refused to budge. Not that he forced confrontations or anything so proactive, he was always just _there_. Passive aggressive had always been more his style. So she resorted to determinately ignoring him.

She found she wasn't so good at ignoring the situation when Izzie Stevens made her arrival in Seattle a few weeks later.

The x-ray room was empty and Callie slapped a scan of a pulverized hand onto the light box, flipping the switch to display it. "Oh, wow," Arizona murmured, moving closer for a better look. "It looks like hamburger in there. Are you going to amputate?"

Callie shook her head, one arm curled around her middle while the other elbow was braced on her forearm, the Latina unconsciously chewing on her thumbnail while she surveyed the damage. "I really don't want to," she said. "This guy's an artist. He does these really amazing wood carvings. He needs his hand." His art kept him sane after his day job as a trash collector. And she could understand that - any surgeon could. They needed their hands the same way he needed his. She shook her head again, trying to think. "I'm just not sure how to do it."

"Dr. Torres…"

The voice made her shoulders tighten and she didn't turn. "No," she denied flatly, Arizona turning at the cold tone suddenly in her partner's voice. "Get out."

"I've been assigned as your resident on this case."

"I don't care," Callie said in the same tone. "I'm not working with you. Go find your boyfriend." She didn't move her eyes off of the x-ray, only realizing that her hands were shaking in fists at her sides when Arizona's hand touched the back of hers lightly, coaxing it to relax.

"Doctor…"

"Stevens," the new arrival provided her name. She was blonde, brown eyed, and pretty, Arizona could acknowledge that, but for her tastes Callie was in an entirely different league. O'Malley was an idiot. His loss was her gain, though.

"Dr. Stevens, if you would give us a few minutes," Arizona requested, nodding back toward the door. The younger doctor retreated without arguing and Arizona squeezed Callie's hand to draw her eyes. "I guess that's her?" The brunette nodded, her jaw clenched. "And this isn't something I should be jealous about, is it?" she checked. "Because if you're _this_ angry at her about ruining a marriage even you've said was a mistake…"

"It's not just that, Arizona," Callie cut her off brusquely, aware that she was giving her girlfriend undeserved attitude but unable to help herself. "Even before they slept together behind my back, she hated me and lost no chance to let me know it. It was humiliating. And he did nothing to stand up for me." She sighed, holding her breath in an effort to calm herself. "I look at her and I remember how miserable they made me the whole time I was dating George. And I _tried_! I tried to trust her and I _tried_ to be what he needed after his dad died!"

"Okay," Arizona interjected, stepping in between Callie's body and the light box she was still staring at, drawing dark brown eyes to her. "I believe you." She used both hands to hold Callie's eyes on her, her own expression serious. "And I understand that you're upset. So, I'm officially declaring myself supportive, loving girlfriend and not paranoid, jealous freak," she announced, relieved to get a smile, no matter how weak. "And toward that end, I will take Dr. Stevens for you today and you can go rebuild this guy's hand in peace," she offered.

Callie spontaneously relaxed, smiling tentatively. "I know I'm acting weird and I'm sorry. I just… that woman gets under my skin."

Arizona's nose wrinkled at that and she made a show of literally biting her tongue. "My inner paranoid, jealous freak wants to comment on that, but instead I'm just going to say that I love you and I know that you can come up with a way to save this guy's hand." She pecked full lips quickly. "Because he's an artist and so are you," declared Arizona supportively.

Callie nodded between Arizona's hands. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," Arizona answered with a smile. "Now, you go be a rockstar and I'll find something for my new resident to do."

"We're still on for lunch, right?" Callie checked.

"Of course." A blue eye sent her a wink and Callie felt the tension that lingered like a knot in her stomach dissolve entirely. Why should she worry about George or Izzie when she had Arizona? "And because you're having a day, I'll let you steal my fries and I won't even make a face," she offered cheerfully from the doorway, grinning when Callie shot her a look of exaggerated exasperation.

"I love you too!"

The grin on Arizona's face didn't fade or falter when she found Izzie at the nurses' station, she just offered a hand to shake. "You're on my service today, Dr. Stevens," she announced. "I'm Dr. Robbins, Peds."

"She really won't work with me?"

"Nope," Arizona answered, chipper. "And she's my girlfriend, so let's all watch what we say, alright?" Spotting Alex walking down the hall, she waved Izzie forward as she went to meet her protégé. "Karev, what have you got today?"

He shrugged, looking disappointed. "Nothing big. Couple of Appies and a bowel obstruction. Why?" He was eyeing Izzie and made little effort to hide his interest.

Arizona cleared her throat warningly, too familiar with that look on his face. "Alex Karev, this is Dr. Izzie Stevens. Stevens, Karev," she introduced them. "Stevens is here for her boyfriend Dr. O'Malley, I believe," she added, smirking as his face clouded and he glared at the new arrival. Things between him and Callie had been fine as soon as she'd reconciled with Arizona. But he'd been less than subtle about his dislike of the hospital's newest trauma surgeon. "This is her first day in our residency program, so she will be observing your surgeries today," she informed him, no room for argument in her tone. "I'll be overseeing and asking questions to get a read on your abilities, Dr. Stevens."

She just blinked at the pair, almost pouting. "You're both Callie's friends. How is this fair?"

"Girlfriend," Arizona reminded her pointedly. "And I can assure you, we are being and will continue to be completely professional, Dr. Stevens. I don't know you, so I don't trust you to work on my patients. Until that changes, you will observe and answer questions. Understood?"

The younger blonde swallowed hard, nodding. "Yes ma'am."

Arizona's chipper smile returned in an instant. "Awesome. Alex, what's up first?" she asked cheerfully, letting him lead her to the patient's room while Izzie trailed behind them at a loss.

At lunch, Callie was sitting with her back toward George and Izzie, though Arizona noted that George seemed to be keeping his eyes on Callie. He really wasn't getting it. "You know, with the way O'Malley stares over here, you'd think I was the other woman or something," Arizona commented, taking her seat beside Callie.

The brunette stiffened in her chair. "He's looking over here?" She muttered Spanish under her breath in frustration. Why the hell couldn't he get this through his head? She was with Arizona and he needed to get his ass back to Florida and take Izzie with him.

The gossip about the two new arrivals and Callie had, of course, spread like wildfire through the hospital and Alex spoke up, teasing grin on his face, "Dude, no offense, but technically _aren't_ you the other woman?"

"Doesn't Stark have some charts for you to do?" Arizona shot back, glaring daggers at her protégé. "For the next six months?" She was working on it, really she was, but it was still a touchy subject…

Karev quickly cleared his throat as he choked, one fist pounding his chest. "I said no offense."

"That doesn't actually make the stuff you say _not _offensive," Callie reminded him shortly, matching her girlfriend's tone and shooting a sharp glare of her own at him. "This is my fault, though. He's not divorcing me, but I never should have married him, so it's really my fault." She rubbed Arizona's leg comfortingly under the table. "You were never the other woman," she leaned over to whisper to her. "I was drowning in Miami and you are like…coming up for air."

Arizona's answering smile was strained, but she rested her hand over Callie's on her leg, lacing their fingers. "I believe you, Calliope. And I love you. I just hate that my girlfriend has a husband."

Callie grimaced. "I hate it too." Less than six months in, it was too soon to think of proposing to Arizona, but she wanted the freedom to do it when it _was_ time. Because even if it was too soon for now, she knew that Arizona was the one she wanted with her, no matter how far into the future she imagined. "I swear to you, I'll work it out. I'll get divorced."

"Great," Arizona said, taking a final sip of her soda and clearing her throat. "I'm still breaking in my new resident, so I've got to go now, but I'll see you tonight?"

"Definitely," agreed Callie. "And thank you again. Really."

The blonde leaned toward her, whispering in her ear as she stood up, "You can make it up to me when I get home tonight," she promised. "Karev, if you'd collect Dr. Stevens, you can get started on the bowel resection."

He crammed the last of his sandwich in his mouth, speaking around it. "On it, boss." Arizona smirked as he walked off, one hand brushing crumbs off his scrubs as he shrugged back into his lab coat. "Hey, you, new chick, get up," he grumbled as he passed the table where George and Izzie were sitting. "Time to work!"

"I'm training him so well," Arizona commented with a smug smirk, obviously proud of her student.

Callie gave her an amused smile, glad that one of them was finding a way to enjoy this at least. "Love you."

"Love you too." They kissed quickly, the blonde kicking out her wheels to roll out of the cafeteria, Callie turning her head to watch her go.

"You've got it _bad_, girl," Teddy commented, laughing. Her smile didn't slip as she continued, "You're serious with all this divorce stuff, right?"

Callie gave her a knowing look. "You can say what you really mean, Teddy. I'm not going to hurt her again. Arizona's the one I need. I love her."

The heart surgeon was still smiling and she sipped her coffee. "I didn't ask you to defend yourself, Callie. I'm just trying to look out for my friend. Because you leaving will break her. So don't break my friend." There was friendly warning in her tone, but her smile was still pleasant.

Brown eyes blinked. "Has anyone ever told you that you can be a little bit scary?"

Teddy's grin just widened and she laughed again. "I was in the Army. You pick it up hanging around all that testosterone." Shrugging her shoulders, the blonde offered the rest of her fries as a peace offering. "I'm just saying, don't get her hopes up about you if you're going to stay with your husband."

Callie shook her head, shooting a look over her shoulder to where George was sitting alone, his eyes on her. "No contest," the Latina declared. "It's Arizona." She plucked up a fry and saluted her friend with it. "I'm glad you're looking out for her."

They exchanged friendly grins and Callie relaxed for the first time since Izzie had made her appearance earlier in the day. Thankfully, she didn't have to deal with her anymore today. She had one more surgery for the day on the pulverized hand and then she was home free. Izzie would be in the OR with Arizona and Alex until after she'd left for the day. It meant that she and Arizona couldn't ride home together, but she'd leave the T-bird for her girlfriend, a peace offering a bit bigger than a basket of French fries.

"And if you're really not pissed at me, maybe you could give me a ride home?" Callie asked. "I rode in with Arizona this morning, but she doesn't get off for a few hours after…"

"And letting her drive your car will get you out of trouble," guessed Teddy. "Sure," she laughingly agreed. "As long as nothing comes into the ER, I'll be off at five."

"Awesome," Callie said, not noticing what she'd said until the heart surgeon laughed. "Oh my God," murmured the brunette, shaking her head. "I really do have it _so _bad!"

Still laughing, Teddy stood up. "So does she, Callie, don't worry," she offered, waving. "I've got to check on some post-ops, but I'll see you in the locker room around five?"

"Definitely. And thanks, you know, for the ride."

* * *

><p>There's a lot going on in this one, so I split it up again...<p> 


	13. Chapter 10 pt 2

Callie's day was complete with building a titanium mesh skeleton for a man's hand, a repair that was artistic itself, and one that she was confident had a good chance of success. People could pull off amazing things when they wanted them bad enough. And this man wanted his hand. She was glad she'd been able to give it back to him. Teddy joined her in the attending locker room as she was dropping her scrub cap into the hamper. "How'd it go?" the heart surgeon asked, shrugging out of her lab coat as she passed Callie and went to her own cubby.

"Went well, but I'm beat." She couldn't help the proud smile that escaped. "He's got a lot of rehab ahead of him, but if he works hard, he won't have to give up his art."

Teddy studied her for a moment, hearing something in her voice that made her pause for a bit of consideration. "I know that look," she declared, breaking into a smirk. "Are you sure you don't want to wait for Robbins? After big surgeries you two normally tear up one of the on-call rooms, don't you?"

Blushing and praying her friend wouldn't see it, Callie turned back to her locker to swap shirts, tugging a long-sleeved tee over her head gratefully. "No, home is fine. I kind of put my foot in it earlier when Izzie showed up. I want to make it up to her."

"Nice!" Teddy approved, nodding with a grin.

They caught rush hour traffic, but Callie still had plenty of time to get started on a nice dinner, homemade enchiladas that were Arizona's favorites. Literally the last thing she wanted was a page from George O'Malley.

Ignoring it with a grumble, she went back to cooking. There was only one thing that she wanted to hear from her ex-husband and that was that he was finally signing the divorce papers. She wasn't even sure what he was holding onto so tightly - when they'd been together she'd always felt that her feelings were stronger than his. He'd pushed her away for almost the entirety of their brief marriage, anytime Izzie Stevens made a comment about her, but now that he was free he wasn't letting go and she couldn't understand it.

The chime repeated from her pager and she checked it with a growl of frustration. This one wasn't from George O'Malley though, but from Alex Karev and it was a 911. Frowning, she wracked her brain for cases that she'd shared with Peds lately. Nothing came to mind. It must be a fresh incoming.

Dialing her phone, she was surprised in spite of the 911 when he answered on the first ring. "Karev, what's up? I'm at the house and I'm not on call."

"You need to get back here," he said, voice hoarse. "Now."

The tone in his voice sent a chill through her and a fist squeezed her heart. "What's wrong?"

"Get here," he repeated himself and she could hear the ER in the background. It sounded busy, the ambulance siren loud and then cut off as the doors slid closed behind him.

"Alex, what happened?"

He cleared his throat gruffly, his voice cracking. "Torres, just get here."

"Tell me," Callie pleaded. Alex Karev was a good doctor, but no case would make him sound like _this_. Clearly whatever was going on was personal.

There was a long moment of loaded silence. "It's Robbins. Get here."

He said more, but she wasn't hearing him, couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing through her head. Arizona had her car, and Teddy was long gone, but Arizona's Jeep was still in the driveway. However, all of a sudden, she couldn't remember for the life of her where her girlfriend kept her keys. She rarely needed them, preferring to drive Callie's Thunderbird whenever she had the chance. It took precious, long, seemingly infinite minutes to find the drawer of spare keys and pull out the one she needed.

Screeching into the ambulance bay at the hospital, the key was left in the ignition as she dashed through the doors into the Emergency Room, ignoring the protests as she left it abandoned. "Arizona!" There was, of course, no answer, everyone too busy with their work, but Alex Karev popped out of the crowd, his expression tight with worry. "Karev, what the hell happened? Where's Arizona?"

"Trauma room 1," he answered her, grabbing her arm quickly when she started toward it. "We can't go in. I thought you'd want to know, but O'Malley has her. We can't go in."

Callie turned to gape at him in disbelief. "George? _George_ has her? Where the hell is Hunt?"

"I paged him, he's on his way." Alex scowled, looking at the closed door. "O'Malley's good, right? He can handle this? Because if he - if she…"

Finishing the statement in her head, Callie could feel her throat dry in an instant. "He's a good doctor, Alex." She knew how deeply the younger man cared for Arizona, even if they acted themselves like it was nothing. "Really. But how bad is she? What happened?"

Before he could answer her, the trauma room door opened, George and his team pushing the gurney into the ER. Arizona curled up around pain in her chest, but her eyes found Callie and Alex and she scrabbled one hand along the railing. "Wait," she croaked painfully. "Calliope…" The Latina rushed forward, taking her hand gingerly and pressing kisses to the back of it. "I'm sorry," Arizona ground out, coughing.

"Callie," George tried to interject, but Callie resolutely ignored him. "We need to get her to surgery. There's internal bleeding."

"Calliope," Arizona called again, drawing in as deep a breath as she could stand. "I think I wrecked your car," she confessed, slumping back weakly in the bed before George signaled that they get moving again. The brunette couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped. Only Arizona would care about the stupid car when she was bleeding internally.

Callie started to follow them, glaring as George stepped into her way. "Karev, page Bailey," she said, staring down her husband. "I want her in there." He nodded, standing at her shoulder for a long moment before he moved off to find the attending. Callie crossed her arms, tension and warning in her stance as she pinned George with a look. "If _anything_ happens to her, I'll end you," she stated seriously.

He frowned, considering her. "I've made a lot of mistakes, Callie, but you know I'm a good doctor."

"I know," she agreed, releasing a breath in a huff. She really did know that he was a good doctor. He could do this. But she'd never had someone she loved going under the knife before. "I need her, George. And as much as I might not trust you to stay away from Izzie Stevens, I have to trust you to save Arizona." Her dark eyes were serious. "Don't let me down again." She pushed past him without another word. She knew she wouldn't be allowed near the surgery, particularly not with Bailey in the room, but she'd fight anyone that tried to keep her out of the gallery.

Alex was already there when she arrived, flopping heavily into the seat next to him. They watched in silence as Arizona went under, her body pale and still beneath the drapes. The staff and surgeons came in, George and Bailey both looking up to them in the gallery, the shorter woman giving the pair a reassuring nod.

Neither one could watch as they opened her up, flinching away from the sight of the knife on Arizona's skin. Callie realized she was holding her breath as she met Karev's eyes. "Do you know what happened to her? A car wreck, is that what she said?"

He nodded, unconsciously wringing his hands between his knees and leaning forward on his elbows. "Some jackass ran the light up the block. I think your car got t-boned, sorry." She waved that off. The only thing that she couldn't replace was Arizona. The car didn't matter. In fact, it would probably upset Arizona more to lose the T-bird than it would upset her. "She was only a few blocks away, so they got her here quickly. She stayed conscious the whole time, but CT showed blood in her abdomen."

It was upsetting, but none of it sounded terribly dangerous if they'd gotten her into surgery so quickly. And Bailey was down there. Arizona was going to be fine. Anything else wasn't an option. "Any bones broken? Other injuries?"

"She broke her arm and cracked her head pretty good on the steering wheel, but Shepherd cleared her," Karev answered, clearing his throat. "Listen, I'm not great at all this sitting and waiting bull…"

Callie nodded her head toward the door over their shoulders. "Go on. I'll page you when she's out of surgery."

"Thanks," he said, clapping one hand to her shoulder as he shoved himself to his feet.

Watching the surgery, Callie leaned over, elbows on knees, as she stared. Teddy joined her before it was over, sitting in the row behind her without speaking. When they'd finished closing, Bailey repeated her nod up at the gallery and Callie let out a breath of relief, feeling like it was her first breath since her phone had rung hours before. But Arizona was alright, was going to stay that way.

"Callie?" Teddy's voice was hesitant, the touch on her shoulder light.

"Just give me a minute," Callie requested breathlessly. "I need a minute, here."

Teddy nodded in understanding. "She's going to be sleeping for a while yet. I'll page you when she starts waking up?"

"Thank you." Callie didn't look up. "Would you page Karev too?"

"Of course," Teddy murmured, leaving the other woman alone.

All she'd wanted from tonight was cooking a nice dinner for her girlfriend and hopefully some sex. Having her ex-husband operate on the woman she loved was not even on her radar. His voice was definitely not something she wanted to hear right now, either. "Callie…"

"Oh, God, why can't you just leave me _alone_, George?" she grumbled, leaning over further so her forehead was resting on her knees. "My girlfriend, the woman I love, was in an accident and you saved her, I'll always be grateful for that. And I even forgive you for sleeping with Izzie. But it doesn't change things for me. I love Arizona. You and I should have never gotten married."

"Are you even going to let me talk?" George spoke up softly, Callie leaning away as he settled into the seat beside her.

"I've asked you to leave Seattle, George. I've asked you to sign the papers and leave us alone." Callie sighed, frustrated and impatient with him, with the situation. Arizona had been incredible, dealing with her lie, with George being in their hospital, but she knew there was no way for them to move forward as long as George O'Malley stood in their way. "You don't want to listen to me, so why would I let you talk?"

George was quiet for a long moment. "We never had that, did we? The way you feel about her… I saw you when I was operating. I could see how you feel about her. It's all over your face when you even hear her name." He sighed heavily, regretfully. "You're a different person with her, Callie. I think you're happy with her. We never had that. We didn't make each other happy like that."

"We never had that," Callie confirmed. "You were hurting and I was convenient." She could feel his flinch without seeing it. "It's not _just_ your fault, George," she confessed honestly, tone going softer. "You asked, but I should have said no. But I was into you and you were hurting and we made a mistake."

"Not the only mistake," he said regretfully, drawing her eyes for the first time since his entrance. They'd never talked about their relationship so candidly before. It was a surprisingly good feeling, admitting that they were wrong.

"George, I don't love you and I know you don't love me, not like we should have, so why are you being so damn stubborn about signing the divorce papers? I mean, we got married in Vegas by an Elvis, for God's sake!" She'd done a lot of things in her life, but that remained her moment of highest trashiness.

He sighed again, shaking his head, and she was surprised to feel a burst of sympathy for him. He'd been through a lot in the last year and a half, and she wasn't the only thing he'd lost. "We're Catholic, Callie. It's a big decision, divorce." That was _a _reason, though not actually the biggest one. "And because signing meant that I screwed up another thing in my life," he admitted, glancing sideways at her. "You're right, we shouldn't have gotten married, but we did. And after I lost my dad I didn't want to sign those papers and tell the world, or my mother, that I couldn't do being married."

Callie's face slacked. "Oh God. Your mom…" Mrs. O'Malley was by far the thing she had loved most about being a part of George's family, a loving, supportive mother a nice treat after her own mother's abandonment. She was also extremely religious. The older woman would be devastated to learn they weren't together anymore, that Callie wanted a divorce.

He gave her a sad smile. "She always loved you."

"I love her too," she choked out. "But you understand that we have to do this divorce, right? I'm with Arizona. I want to marry her someday. So I need to not be married to you anymore."

Nodding, George pulled a manila envelope up from between his leg and the chair's armrest. He offered it to her with another slow, small, sad smile. "For what it's worth, I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry."

She returned his smile weakly as she pulled the packet of papers out of the envelope. His signature was above hers on the lines at the bottom. "I'm sorry too," Callie whispered. "But thank you." Her pager beeped on her hip with a room number. "And thank you for what you did for Arizona. I appreciate it."

He gave her a nod, finality in the gesture. "Least I could do for you, Callie."

Standing up, Callie didn't pause on her way to Arizona. There was nothing to look back for anymore. Her entire life, the future she wanted, was all waiting for her.

* * *

><p>Update was going to be later, but my dinner plans just changed so I wanted to get this up while I had time (and the site was cooperating, finally!)<p> 


	14. Chapter 11

Arizona smiled weakly as Callie appeared in her doorway, the brunette muttering under her breath in Spanish as she crossed the room to capture her girlfriend's lips. "Mmh," Arizona moaned as the quick, firm kiss ended. "I'm glad to see you too," she said tiredly, though she was smiling. Her eyes were hooded, barely opened.

"God, Arizona, I'm _so_ glad you're okay," Callie gasped, leaning her forehead against Arizona's gratefully. The blonde sniffled , blinking at her as her face screwed up like she was going to cry. "Sweetie, oh God, what hurts?" She shot a look over her shoulder at Teddy. "Get Bailey!"

"No, nothing hurts," Arizona said quickly. That wasn't true, lots of things hurt at the moment. "I just - I think your car's totaled, baby."

Callie almost fell over in relief, one hand covering Arizona's cheek while the other clung to the side of the bed, the envelope containing her divorce papers falling forgotten to the floor. "Jesus, Arizona! Don't _do_ that!" A thumb curled over her partner's cheek. "You're going to give me a heart attack!" She couldn't believe it when the blonde almost pouted at her. "And you're here and you're going to be okay, so I honestly couldn't give a damn about a car."

"You love that car," protested Arizona.

Callie couldn't stop herself from kissing her again, short and hard. "It was my very favorite car, sure, but you are my very favorite person and there's no contest, Arizona." She drew her head back to get a better look at Arizona's injuries, aware that they weren't alone but not caring. Teddy and Karev knew how they felt about each other.

Arizona's left arm was in a cast from the elbow to the base of her fingers and Callie caught herself wondering where and which bones had been broken. And how hard would Bailey kick her ass if she took a look at the films? Her skin was pale, blue eyes shadowed and heavy, her hair laying limp and flat against her pillow.

"You're beautiful," Callie whispered, unable and unwilling to stop herself.

Arizona's chuckle was hoarse and her injured hand covered her chest. "You're a liar," she countered.

"Nah, she's right, boss, you're still pretty hot," Karev chimed in. Both of the women at the bed shot looks at him and he crossed his arms. "Not like I'd do you or anything…"

Callie straightened up and turned toward him slowly, threat to his person obvious. Arizona grabbed her hand quickly before she could move to beat down her protégé. "Thanks for being here, Alex," she said, smiling at the younger man. "I'm glad you're here." She glanced up at Callie. "Thank you for calling Calliope for me."

Callie's shoulders relaxed and she blinked, releasing a deep breath. He _had_ been the one to get her here. She would have lost her mind if she had only found out that something had happened when Arizona didn't show up for dinner. "Thank you, Karev," she added, earnest.

He nodded, leaning against the wall next to the door. "I know you hate sitting around and waiting," Arizona said, giving him a tired, knowing look. "You can go. You've done your roommate duty and visited. Your ass is covered, I'm not kicking you out of the house. Go find some kids to save," she offered.

Alex saluted her gratefully, grinning. "Thanks, boss. Glad you didn't die. Later!"

The three remaining women exchanged smiles, familiar with his gruff nature. "We really are glad you're okay," Teddy agreed, moving up to the other side of the bed to smile at her best friend. "The surgery went perfectly smooth, though I don't think I heard Callie take a breath the entire time."

Arizona's blue eyes were concerned as she shifted her gaze to her girlfriend. "Calliope, you were watching? Wha - Bailey let you watch?" The diminutive surgeon entered the room herself just then and Arizona's gaze narrowed at her friend. "You let her watch the surgery? She's not a doctor today, she's a loved one! Why would you let her watch?"

Bailey just raised an eyebrow and waved Callie out of her way as she came to check on Arizona's monitors. "I know you're not yelling at me, Dr. Robbins," she said coolly. "Because Dr. Torres might be _your _girlfriend, but she is _my_ colleague. She's welcome to sit and observe any procedure she wants to." Arizona and Callie exchanged surprised glances. Bailey could normally be counted on to be professional in the extreme. "But if you're going to insist that Callie be treated as family, I'll be forced to remind you that the family members of post-op patients have extremely limited visiting hours."

Arizona blinked in realization, reaching around Bailey to take Callie's hand, relieved when the Latina laced their fingers together. "Oh, um, no. Dr. Torres needs to stay." Arizona tried a shallow grin. "My arm's broken, you know? And she's in Ortho."

"I'm aware, Dr. Robbins," Bailey agreed, smiling in spite of herself. "Does your broken arm hurt?"

"Nope," the blonde answered as cheerfully as she could, her voice hoarse and thick with pain. "Everything feels fine."

"Does the incision hurt at all?"

"It's a little bit sore," Arizona admitted as her doctor pulled her gown up to check the site herself. "When can I get out of here?"

"Two days minimal for abdominal surgery and you know it," Bailey answered her.

Growling in frustration, Arizona rolled her eyes. "Can I at least wear normal clothes? I work here, I shouldn't have to sit here bare assed for two days!"

"I'll get you something," Teddy promised her, smirking at her friend while Bailey stared her down for daring to curse in front of her. "Now. I'll get you something now," the heart surgeon offered, backing out of the room quickly. Even if they were all technically at the same level of authority in the hospital, it went without saying that _really_ Bailey was over all of them. It was just how a sane person instinctively reacted to the surgeon.

"Colleagues or not, your visitors will need to leave soon," Bailey warned Callie gently, giving both of them a look. Making notes in Arizona's chart, she frowned at the envelope Callie had dropped, stooping to pick it up. "Is this mine?"

Callie quickly snatched it, suddenly remembering her news, the divorce papers finally getting signed being wiped away in her relief at seeing Arizona awake. "Oh, no, this is mine, actually!"

Arizona frowned in confusion, trying to think. "Did you stop and get my x-rays or something?"

Bailey blinked, scowling at Callie. "No, but I would like to see them." She smiled at the envelope, swatting Arizona's arm lightly with it. "This is a surprise for you."

Arizona took it with her broken arm, fumbling one-handed with the metal clasp. "Should I open it now?"

"I'll show it to you," Callie promised, feeling giddy with the reminder that after one short trip to the lawyer's, she was a single woman.

"I'm going away before it gets _personal_ in here," Bailey declared suddenly, taking one look at Callie's face and using the chart to cover her head as she retreated.

Arizona could see her intercept Teddy as the taller surgeon came back with Arizona's scrubs. Teddy was frowning as she came to the door, confused and hesitant. "Bailey told me to drop these off and run away. Is everything okay?"

"Apparently it's about to get _personal _in here," Arizona said, mimicking Bailey's voice and sending a confused look at her girlfriend. She shrugged. "I have no idea. Calliope's got me a present or something in this envelope, though."

Teddy put the clothing on the foot of the bed, giving Callie a look herself. After their conversation at lunch and the unexpected accident she wondered if the brunette had made some kind of radical decision. "Is everything alright?" Callie nodded reassuringly, trying to hide her smile. "But personal?"

"Kind of," Callie answered them both, seeing Arizona's look. "But we can do it later if you two want to sit and talk."

The heart surgeon waved it off when she saw Arizona's curious, considering look at the manila envelope. "That's alright. I'll just catch you in the morning."

"Ooh, breakfast?" queried Arizona eagerly, eyes jumping from her envelop to her best friend.

Teddy laughed, nodding. "Of course! I'll bring you donuts," she promised. "Night, guys."

Arizona sat up as much as she could with her broken arm, eagerly shaking her envelope. "What do you think it's going to do?" Callie teased lightly. Her girlfriend really was the cutest person alive. And she was finally free to give her everything. Committing to Arizona was going to be all she could think about now.

"I don't know! Open it! Open it!"

"Let's get you changed," Callie suggested instead, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the door was closed. "Arms up."

Arizona pouted but obeyed, raising one arm at a time and letting Callie pull the hospital gown off and replace it with her navy blue scrub top. Putting the pants on was made easier when Arizona insisted on standing up, hanging onto Callie's shoulder with her good hand, hating the invalid feeling. "This better be an _awesome_ surprise, Calliope," she grumbled as she climbed wearily back into her bed, kicking her feet under the blankets.

Laughing, Callie reached over and took the papers from beside her, flicking open the thin metal closure and handing it back. "Here you go. I hope it lives up to expectations."

Looking like nothing so much as a kid on Christmas, Arizona eagerly dumped the envelope into her lap and used her cast to turn the pages right side up so she could read them, leaning over for a better look. Callie bit her lip as she waited for blue eyes to reach the bottom of the page, smiling hopefully when Arizona's gaze shot up to find her, a dazzling dimpled smile growing on her mouth.

"You're divorced? You got a divorce? Calliope, when, why didn't you tell me?" Arizona chattered excitedly.

"It just happened." Callie couldn't help laughing. She felt lighter than she had in weeks, the stress of dealing with her husband and her girlfriend coexisting weighing her down more than she'd realized that it had. And that was saying nothing of how much Arizona had had to cope with. But it was all over now. It was still early in their relationship, they'd only been dating barely four months, but she could marry Arizona right now if she wanted to. And if Arizona wanted to get married, of course. "And I still have to take the papers to my lawyer tomorrow, but then I will be divorced," she agreed.

"When did this happen?"

Lighting up at the smile on Arizona's face, Callie took a seat on the edge of her bed. "Literally twenty minutes ago. George found me after the surgery. We talked and he gave me the signed papers."

Arizona's expression sobered just a little, dimpled smile still in place. "Are you okay? I mean, with everything? I know the divorce is a big deal for you…"

Callie shook her head, covering Arizona's good hand with her own. "I'm excited. I'm glad it's finally all over. Now I can look forward to our future and not feel bad about anything."

Arizona felt a thrill shoot down her spine at the word _our_ in reference to the future. Callie saw _their _future. It made her heart beat faster and the monitor beeped more quickly to keep pace, giving away her excitement. "Is George staying around Seattle? Izzie?"

"I have no idea," Callie said, shrugging. "And I honestly don't care. They can do whatever they want. And now, so can I." The suggestion was clear and Arizona's heartbeat reacted accordingly, the monitor chirping quickly. "Arizona, baby? Do I need to get Bailey?"

"No, no, I'm okay." She pouted suddenly. "You just had to get divorced when I'm trapped in the hospital and we can't celebrate, didn't you?" The teasing made Callie's smile grow and she kissed the back of her girlfriend's hand. "Oh, you've got to do better than that, Calliope," Arizona stated, shaking her head and seizing the front of Callie's shirt to keep her close.

Callie leaned in, though she kept the kiss more gentle than it had been in the rush of relief she'd felt just as she'd arrived. She could take her time. There was no rush for anything. She wasn't married, and thank _God_, Arizona was going to be alright. "Scoot over," she coaxed, breathing the words against her girlfriend's lips.

It was Arizona's turn for a concerned frown, even as she moved to give Callie room to join her. "Are you okay?"

"Shh." Callie gratefully wrapped an arm across her girlfriend's waist, one leg curling to cover Arizona's legs. "I just - I want to be close to you."

Arizona was quiet. The divorce was clearly second in Callie's mind to the accident she'd had. She stroked her good hand over the Latina's forearm, turning her face to kiss her temple. "I want that too, Calliope." She yawned, wanting to stay awake and reassure Callie that she wasn't going anywhere, but so soon after surgery, she wasn't able to help herself. "Will you talk to me? I'm sleepy."

Callie nuzzled into a pale neck, kissing a small scratch lightly. She hated the sight of anything marking Arizona's skin. "What do you want me to talk about, sweetness?"

Sighing tiredly, Arizona felt her eyes fall closed. It almost didn't matter what Callie talked about, she wouldn't be awake long enough to hear much of anything. She just wanted to hear Callie's voice talk her to sleep. Callie had such a sexy voice. Of course, it matched everything else she had. "Tell me how the hand surgery went," she requested, mumbling.

Callie was surprised. It didn't even feel like she was still in the same day that she'd been rebuilding a hand from scratch. "Well, it worked," she whispered, fingers rubbing gentle, idle patterns across the blonde's stomach. "He'll get to keep doing his art."

"My girl's a hardcore badass," Arizona murmured, obviously proud. "Builds hands like God."

"And I was going to make you dinner tonight to make up for being such a freak about Izzie earlier, but I guess it'll have to wait a few days," Callie continued, knowing that Arizona didn't really care what she talked about, just wanted to get talked to until she fell asleep.

"You were making me dinner? That's so sweet," Arizona cooed without opening her eyes. "Sorry I ruined it."

"Shut up," Callie cut her off shortly. "The only way anything is ruined is if you weren't here with me now."

"Yeah, but I bet I was going to get laid," Arizona pointed out, her voice heavy with sleep. "Now I'm not. That's _my_ definition of ruined."

Callie knew Arizona was just teasing her to get her to relax and she was grateful because she didn't want to even think about the alternative. "You'll get laid," she promised, laughing. One blue eye forced itself open, eyebrow arching curiously. "Not until we get you home, though."

Frowning with her eyes closed, Arizona grumbled under her breath, the words unintelligible. Her broken arm shifted to cover Callie's knee as she squirmed onto her less injured side. Callie trailed her hand up and down the blonde's side, leaning her head up on her other arm to watch Arizona. She knew Arizona didn't love her tendency to watch her sleep, but she couldn't help herself today. And the blonde was unconscious. She'd never know to protest.

Bailey, of course, had plenty to say about Callie spending the night in her patient's bed, but Callie refused her friend's efforts to force her out of the room for the night. They argued in the doorway, Callie standing her ground on the inside of the doorframe and keeping her voice at a hissing whisper so she wouldn't disturb Arizona. "Bailey, if you kick me out I'm just going to be sleeping in the closest on-call room I can find. I might as well just stay in here!"

"Dr. Torres, it was a routine surgery that went as smoothly as it possibly could have gone," Bailey reminded her, almost offended. She'd done a perfect procedure and Torres wouldn't leave the room. It was insulting.

Realizing her mistake, Callie shook her head. "I'm not scared something's going to happen, Miranda! I know you took good care of her." She glanced sheepishly over her shoulder. "It's actually so much more pathetic," she confessed. "I just don't want to be away from her." She sighed as she met her friend's eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "I know, it's pathetic and _so_ not hardcore, but I got divorced today and she was in an accident and I don't want to go home and sleep alone."

The shorter woman sighed herself, shaking her head as she made a final note on Arizona's chart. "At least request a cot, Torres," she said, glancing up at her with the glimmer of a smile on the corners of her mouth.

Callie grinned, leaning out of the room to call after her, "You think we're adorable! You can admit it, Bailey!"

"Good night, Dr. Torres!" Bailey waved over her shoulder as she turned the corner.

Arizona stirred as Callie turned back to her, blonde curls lying flat against her cheek. She jumped as she moved her broken arm and unintentionally hit herself with the cast. She didn't wake though, just frowned cutely in her sleep. The look smoothed off of her face as Callie quietly crept back to her side and leaned over to press a kiss to her hair, one hand pulling the blankets up over the blonde's side.

Callie forced herself not to drop back into the chair at Arizona's bedside, knowing that she would spend the next day regretting it if she fell asleep in the chair. A nurse was quick to bring her a cot, the thin portable mattress uncomfortable but preferable to sleeping in bed at home alone. As she settled against the hospital issued pillow, it occurred to her that the bed she was thinking of wasn't the one at her apartment, but rather the one they shared at Arizona's house. They'd been sleeping in the same bed more often than not since they'd met, even on nights that they didn't have sex. Sleeping with Arizona was comfortable, familiar, and safe. Even just being in the room with her now, gentle breathing overlaid by the beeping of the monitors, was home. She didn't even notice drifting off.

Waking up wasn't as pleasurable as usual, Callie jerking awake suddenly instead of being pulled to consciousness gradually with a path of kisses over her skin in the way Arizona normally enjoyed waking her up on mornings they had the time. A grunt of displeasure was greeted with a laugh from the other bed, Callie sitting up and tousling her hair. "You're always all grumpy when you wake up," Arizona commented. "It's kind of cute."

Rubbing her eyes, Callie arched an eyebrow at her. "Cute, huh? Did Derek check your head yesterday?"

Arizona giggled, dimpled smile in place as she watched her girlfriend stretching. Her own body ached and her arm itched like crazy beneath her cast. In addition, she was hungry, adding to her discomfort. "It is cute," she insisted, stretching herself gingerly. "I know the secret of turning that frown upside down." Tousling her own hair and grimacing at the reminder that she needed to take a shower, her own expression grew grumpy.

"And you're normally more of a morning person," noted Callie, bemused by the change in her girlfriend's demeanor. "What's that look for?"

"My hair is gross. I feel nasty. I want to take a shower! I want to go _home_!" Blue eyes gave her girlfriend a curious look. "How come you didn't go home? I know our bed is more comfortable than that thing." She sent the narrow cot a derisive look.

Catching the plural in Arizona's statement, Callie hid a smile. "Our bed, huh? And when you say 'our bed' do you mean the one at your house or my apartment?" she asked, eyes bouncing around the room without settling on a target.

Arizona grinned. "You mean I haven't asked you to move in yet? That's stupid of me, isn't it?"

Callie's eyes landed on her, surprise clear in her gaze. "I don't expect anything, Arizona. You had to deal with me being married, and not telling you, and moving in would have been too much."

"Well, you're not married anymore," Arizona reminded her cheerfully. Her smile abruptly froze. "Unless you're having second thoughts…" She swallowed thickly. "I-I-"

Callie was seated on the side of her bed a second later, one hand lightly covering her girlfriend's lips. "Don't you finish that sentence," she stated warningly. "I'm never going to have second thoughts about you, Arizona." A kiss on her fingers made her smile. "If I take my hand down are you going to keep talking crazy like the possibility that I could possibly love someone more that I love you?" Blonde hair fell in her face as she shook her head, Arizona pushing it back clumsily with her cast. Callie removed her hand to help, two fingers pushing the lock of hair behind her ear gently. "Good. Moron," Callie murmured fondly, leaning in to follow the path of her hand and kissing her softly.

Arizona quickly dropped her bottom lip, sucking on Callie's full lip. Letting a moan escape, her good hand slid across a smooth, tanned cheek and into dark hair. She loved Calliope's hair. There was no time to appreciate it properly though, as Bailey came through the door.

"Dr. Torres, do you not have rounds this morning?" the new arrival questioned, not looking up for Arizona's chart.

They separated with a sigh, Callie grimacing in regret. "I mean, yeah, I guess I do."

"Go be awesome," Arizona offered, nodding toward the door. "You'll know where to find me later."

Frowning, Callie glanced at Bailey. "Are you sure? I could stay…"

"It's okay, Calliope. Bailey needs to check me out so I can get out of here. And Teddy promised to bring me donuts for breakfast. I know you've got work to do." She nodded again toward the door. "Give me a kiss and go."

Callie could hear Bailey's huff of exasperation but it didn't stop her. When she wanted to kiss Arizona, she was going to kiss her. Anything she wanted to have with Arizona, she could have. Nothing at all was in her way anymore.


	15. Chapter 12

Without even realizing that she was doing it, Callie started going home after work to Arizona's house in the months after Arizona's accident. Even on days she knew that the blonde wouldn't be able to join her until later, or even on days she knew that Arizona wouldn't be coming home at all, she still ended up at the big house instead of her small, lonely apartment. She didn't give up her place though, because Arizona hadn't technically asked her to move in, just joked about it while on pain medication. And she couldn't start that conversation. Not after everything she'd asked of Arizona by hiding her marriage. She couldn't talk about moving in together - it had to be what Arizona wanted.

"Do you live here yet?" Alex asked as though he could read her mind, flopping onto the other end of the couch from where she was reading. The television hummed as he turned it on, though he did turn down the blaring volume when she glared at him. "Because I could use a break on the rent."

"Give _me _a break, Karev," Arizona chimed in as she entered, Callie jumping as she heard her girlfriend's voice. "You pay two fifty a month! That's _your_ half of the utilities!"

Damn. She hadn't realized that Arizona was home and this wasn't an issue she'd expected to have addressed in front of Alex Karev. "Hey…"

"Hey baby," Arizona greeted her, practically humming as she leaned over the back of the couch to peck her neck. "Whatcha reading? Anything good?" Her arms settled around Callie's shoulders and she drew in a deep breath. Callie smelled _good_. It was typical, of course. She smelled amazing all the time. Arizona couldn't help planting more kisses along the warm, tanned neck. "You smell good," she whispered when she reached Callie's ear, licking the shell.

Glancing sideways at Alex even as she leaned her head to give Arizona more room, she caught the younger man's smirk. "Arizona," she breathed, not sure herself if she was encouraging her or discouraging her.

Abruptly the book was pulled out of her hand and she heard it hit the floor behind the couch with a plop, Arizona vaulting herself over the back of the couch to take its place. Callie huffed as her girlfriend landed in her lap, the blonde sliding down to leave her upper body across Callie's legs.

"Oh, come on," Alex complained, bringing them back to the previous topic. "If Torres moved in we'd pay thirds!"

"I'm not charging my _girlfriend_ to live here," stated Arizona decisively, leaning her head back against Callie's leg. Callie obliged her in some contact by combing fingers into her loose blonde hair.

Karev scoffed. "Technically she _doesn't _live here. She's paying to _not_ live somewhere else."

Callie let her eyes fall closed, holding her breath. This wasn't how she wanted this subject to be dealt with. She could feel Arizona's gaze on her but she didn't open her eyes. "Calliope… Look at me," Arizona coaxed. Brown eyes peeked open slowly, one at a time. "I haven't asked you to move in yet."

"I know. I didn't - he, Alex, I'm going to kill you!" Callie stuttered, glaring at him.

Arizona's hand on her chin turned her face back to look at her. "I haven't asked but that doesn't mean I don't want you to move in. I mean, you practically live here anyway." She sat up a little bit, fingers trailing down Callie's neck and hooking in the collar of her shirt. "Do you even want to live here?"

The question was asked with a dimpled grin on her lips. They didn't spend nights apart anymore, hadn't since the car accident. "I want to be with you," Callie answered diplomatically, answering the question while simultaneously not answering.

Arizona caught the subtlety though, and she sat up, removing herself from her girlfriend's lap and turning to face her, folding her legs up on the couch. "That wasn't what I asked you, Calliope. I know we've only been together for six months, but if you don't want to live with me, you can say it…"

"Of course I do, Arizona, but I can't - I was married…"

"So you won't move in until we get married?" Arizona blurted out, clearly surprised.

"No! Babe, no! I'm just saying, I was married and I didn't tell you…"

"Okay…" Now she was confused, one hand tousling her blonde waves of hair while she tried to puzzle out Callie's meaning. "I remember, but…"

Clearing his throat, Alex stood up abruptly. "I'm going to make some popcorn."

They both watched him flee, Arizona sighing as she turned her head back toward Callie. She looked perfect with her hair mussed and an almost pout on her lips. "Okay, I'm just going to be quiet, and you can explain what the hell you're talking about, okay?"

"I hid something huge from you, I hurt your trust, and I can't ask you about moving in," Callie tried to do as she'd been asked. "It's not fair…"

A frown drew Arizona's brows together and then they rose as understanding sunk in. "Wait, you think you _owe _me something? Calliope…"

"I love you, Arizona. And I want to live with you more than anything. It's - it's not - it's just - I can't be the one to bring up moving in together."

Arizona's frown returned, deeper. "Okay, so wait, you're saying that moving in has to be my choice because, what, you think you can't bring up living together because you hid the fact that you were married? You think you have to make something up to me?" She was clearly incredulous. "Calliope Torres, this is a _relationship_! We're supposed to decide things together." She slapped her girlfriend's arm, making her jump. "I can't believe you! We could have been living together for months if you…" Callie just bit her lip and Arizona rolled her eyes. "Calliope, will you please move in with me already? Is that what you needed to hear?"

Knowing that she probably shouldn't, Callie laughed. "That is what I wanted to hear, but not exactly why I didn't bring it up…"

"Then what was it? Because I don't get it," Arizona said, clearly frustrated, pouting as Callie laughed again.

Both hands reached for Arizona's arms, tugging her forward. "Come on," she coaxed. "Lay back down." Arizona huffed but obeyed, turning around and putting her head back in Callie's lap. Strong fingers combed through her hair, drawing the blonde lengths between them. "I want to move in with you, Arizona. I have for months. But I know I hurt you with the whole George thing, and then when Izzie showed up I didn't help myself."

"How does any of this add up to you not moving in?" Arizona was still petulant.

"I hurt you," Callie continued quickly, fingers moving to trace her girlfriend's brows and lips. "And I guess I was waiting on you to bring up living together because that would mean - I don't know - that you weren't…" She grimaced, still struggling to figure out the best way to explain why she'd been sitting on her hands about the whole thing.

"Still hurt?" Arizona finished the statement, sighing. "Calliope…" She shifted her head against the Latina's thigh. "Baby, I love you. And I love you for giving me time to deal with all this, and I _was_ hurt that you didn't tell me about George until he literally walked into our life. It did hurt," Callie winced, apology already on her lips, "You lied to me. And that hurt. Have you lied to me about anything else?" Callie shook her head immediately. "Then I'm going to trust you. Because Calliope, you had a choice and you chose me. You chose _us_." She shrugged, dimples popping as she smiled sweetly. "That was the beginning of the end of me being hurt. The woman I love loves me too. You divorced George, you're with me, we love each other. What do I have to be hurt about anymore?"

Callie blinked, smile growing slowly. "So I could have moved in months ago?" Arizona just grinned and Callie said, "I guess I'll break my lease?"

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Arizona, already craning up to kiss her, feet pushing her up the couch and into Callie's lap. "Especially since you spend every night over here anyway." Callie leaned over to meet her lips, sucking on her tongue without hesitation while Arizona moaned into her mouth.

Alex returned and retook his seat on the other send of the couch, paying no attention to the fact that the two women sharing the sofa with him were kissing. "Torres, you moving in?"

"Yep," Arizona answered him in a gap for breath, sitting up slightly for better leverage, easier access. She didn't resist burying her fingers in black hair. She adored Callie's hair. It was soft and smooth and felt like silk under her touch.

"Is this what I have to look forward to every night now?" Alex asked, one hand up to shield his eyes from the sight of his mentor and friend making out with her girlfriend.

"Probably," the blonde gasped, laughing as she hauled Callie in again.

He sighed, free hand plucking popcorn from his bowl and shoving it in his mouth. "I need a TV in my room," he muttered under his breath, trying to focus on the screen instead of the show on the other side of the couch.

Arizona reluctantly let Callie go, flopping back into her lap. She and Karev had lived together for a long time now but she'd never had a girlfriend move in. If he'd rather they not make out on the couch (all the time), she decided she could try and respect that. Callie's fingers slipped under the bottom edge of her shirt the second the thought crossed her mind, lightly tracing circles on her skin.

Well, she could give restraint a shot. She did have a hot, hot, oh _so_ hot girlfriend, though. He'd have to understand if she slipped up occasionally.

"I have a TV in my room," Callie said, winking sideways at Arizona as the blonde made herself comfortable, back against the armrest and lower body spread across Callie's lap. Part of her was still amazed that they could feel so good together - that anything could feel so perfectly simple, and good, and _home_.

Alex took the bait, grumbling, "Goody for you, Torres."

"Well, I don't like having a TV in the bedroom," Arizona offered her opinion helpfully. "There's so much better stuff to do in bed than watch TV." Callie matched her playful, almost wicked, smile while Karev grimaced.

"Dude, you know I hate hearing stuff like that from you."

Callie laughed, eyes rolling. "I still think there's something wrong with a guy who finds nothing interesting in having two hot girls make out in front of him."

"There's nothing wrong with not wanting to watch your boss make out with her girlfriend," Alex shot back.

"I have to say I'm fine with Karev not watching us," Arizona chimed in. "We have a bedroom for a reason."

"And I can't have my TV in there?" Callie asked, teasing.

"Sorry, babe." Arizona didn't really sound apologetic. "I want you focused on me."

They exchanged winks, Alex still dutifully keeping his eyes on the television. "I guess I could put it in storage." She paused for a moment , dragging out the teasing. She knew Alex would never ask to use her TV as an alternative to putting it in storage, she would have to mention it. "Or Karev, you could put it in your room. Since I won't be using it."

Just as expected, his sideways glance was simultaneously guarded against the idea of accepting supposed charity _and_ eager to have a TV in his room. But, of course, the first impulse of denial was the one he went with. "I don't need your pity TV, Torres."

"Oh, she's not giving it to you for free," Arizona countered, knowing exactly how to deal with her protégé. "Consider it payment for all the boxes you're going to be hauling."

He grumbled, but Arizona grinned, pleased with her success. "Thank you, Karev," Callie said, deliberately sweetening her tone.

"Whatever." He slouched on the couch, feet up on the coffee table.

The women couldn't help exchanging smiles as he wordlessly put the bowl of popcorn on the cushion between himself and Callie. She reached over just as quietly and plucked up some popcorn, offering the handful to Arizona.

It took Callie a few days to get any time to start packing up, though once she got started the process was relatively quick. Since her move to Seattle she hadn't spent enough time here to make it feel like home, spending most of her time with Arizona or at Arizona's house, so the packing didn't get bogged down in sentimentality. Fleeing Miami, the majority of the things she'd brought were clothes, not wanting to drag memories of George and her old life with her to Washington.

The furniture had all been bought since she'd moved and could be disposed of just as easily. Maybe Alex would wash her car for a new mattress? She'd rather he have it if it was something he could use. Arizona had everything at her house already so there was a lot of stuff she no longer needed. The question was if she should put it in storage or get rid of it entirely. Thinking about it brought up questions of the future that she didn't know how to answer.

A knock on the door prefaced Arizona's entrance, Karev a few steps behind her and carrying pizza. "I figured you'd have forgotten to eat," the blonde said in greeting, accepting a kiss to the cheek. "What are we going to do with all this stuff?" she asked, looking around at the scattered furniture.

Of course Arizona would cut straight to the issue, knowingly or not, Callie reflected, sighing. "Um, I guess I could get a storage unit…"

Arizona shrugged, shoulders bobbing. "If you want." Suddenly, her expression was a knowing smirk. "I don't see the point of that, though. Seems like a waste of money to me." She grinned. "I figured it out faster this time, Calliope. I'm in this. You don't need a contingency plan. And you don't need to keep spare furniture. I mean, if you like it and want to put it somewhere in the house, that's different. But don't keep it because you think you'll need it if we break up and you move out." She stepped closer, arms sliding around Callie's hips. "I'm not letting you go. If you're moving, I'm coming with you."

Smiling, Callie put down her packing tape and slipped both arms over the blonde's shoulders. "Alright then, Karev, do you need any furniture? Take whatever you want."

"Seriously?" Without thinking, he looked intrigued then he regained control of his expression. "I'm good."

"We can figure out an exchange program," Arizona assured him, rolling her eyes. "Maybe I can actually get you to cut the grass for once."

Callie nodded, smiling reassuringly. "If you want it, help yourself."

"Sweet!" Alex crowed, extending one arm for a fist bump. "You rock, Callie. But don't hold your breath on the mowing the lawn thing. It's not like it's a giant chore. You can handle it."

"I'll do it," Callie offered, speaking up to stall the argument she could see coming on Arizona's face. "What?" she questioned at the surprised look they both gave her. "I can push a mower!"

Arizona's surprised look was decidedly different from Alex's, her jaw dropping. She couldn't say that the image of Callie pushing a mower back and forth across the yard was an image she disliked in the slightest, her mind filling in hopeful details like a tank top and shorts to make the fantasy (because that's what it was now) all the better.

"Babe?" Callie prompted when Arizona didn't respond further.

Alex grinned, bumping Callie with an elbow as he carried the pizza boxes to the kitchen island. "Dude, I think she's drooling."

He was right, Callie noticed. Her girlfriend did look to be dangerously close to drooling, blue eyes growing darker as she watched. "Apparently she has a thing for lawn mowers?" she guessed teasingly, Arizona snapping out of it to swat her arm lightly.

"I do _not_ have a thing for lawn mowers, Calliope!"

Laughing, Karev helped himself to a slice of pizza, folding it and biting it in half. Callie was surprised he didn't choke. "She just has a thing for _you_ and lawn mowers," he said around his mouthful.

"So I'll mow the lawn and you can wash the car," Callie bargained, laughing herself as Arizona's jaw slacked again. "Or maybe Arizona wants to wash the car?"

Arizona snapped out of her haze again, pinching Callie's sides before she slid out of her girlfriend's arms and snagged a piece of pizza for herself. "Alex can do it, but if I see scratches in my paint, I'll put you with Stark."

"Harsh, boss," he shot back, both of them ignoring Callie's fond smile at their teasing. "Where can I start, Torres?"

She pointed him toward the bedroom. "There's a hand-truck in there and that room is all boxed up, so whatever you can get, I appreciate it."

"We borrowed Owen's truck," Arizona informed her with a cheerful grin. "What can I help with, beautiful?" Callie considered the clutter, trying to think of what she'd been doing when Arizona and Alex had arrived. "You know, this is kind of like reversing our second date," Arizona commented, looking around herself.

"It kind of is," Callie agreed thoughtfully, looking around her apartment. That had been a good night. "Hey," she called, drawing bright blue eyes back to her. She tossed a spare roll of packing tape to her girlfriend. "How about when we get this stuff home, we recreate our first date to celebrate me moving in?" she proposed, Arizona's response stopped by Alex wheeling a load of boxes through the living room, but the look in her eyes made her answer clear.

* * *

><p>Boo, no new episode tonight!<p> 


	16. Chapter 13

The sound of the doorbell was barely audible over the salsa music Callie had blaring in the kitchen, dancing while she cooked, but she checked to make sure nothing would burn and shimmied her way down the hall to get the door. Arizona and Alex had been stuck at the hospital for the last two days dealing with a set of premature triplets that had been born with all kinds of problems. Supposedly they were coming home tonight and she'd wanted to do something nice for them.

She wasn't expecting company, though.

It was drizzling when she flipped on the porch light and she could see the mist through the light. The older couple that she found outside was smiling politely, not appearing to be bothered by the soft rain.

"Hello," Callie greeted them with a smile herself as she opened the door. "Can I help you?" There was something about the woman's smile that was very familiar and it took her less than a second to place it. "Oh my God, you're Arizona's parents!" Dimples popped as the woman grinned and Callie stepped quickly out of the doorway. "Please, come in out of the rain." Realizing that she was inviting them into their own house, she laughed nervously. "Of course, this is your house, so that's - you don't need me to tell you to come in…"

"You must be Calliope," Arizona's mother said as she entered, her husband hauling a suitcase in behind her. "We've heard so much about you, dear." She greeted the other woman with a hug, Callie's eyes wide as she returned it. "And we've interrupted dinner… so sorry."

Stepping back, Callie waved that off. "Oh no, please, I'm actually still cooking. Arizona and Karev aren't home from the hospital, so I was gonna treat them to a home cooked meal." Mrs. Robbins shrugged out of her coat and Callie was quick to take it from her, hanging it up. "I'm sorry, I didn't… Arizona didn't mention that you were coming…" Callie offered apologetically. "There's going to be plenty for dinner if you'd like to stay."

"Arizona doesn't know that we were coming into town," Mrs. Robbins said almost gleefully. "We're retired. We like not having a schedule anymore." Her husband scoffed quietly and she put an elbow in his side. "Well, _some_ of us don't mind it," she corrected herself while Callie smiled. She could clearly see the affection Arizona's parents had for each other. It was what she wanted to have with Arizona in forty years. "Oh, dear, where is my mind? We haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Barbara and this is my husband Daniel."

"The Colonel," he added, Arizona's blue eyes scrutinizing her from his expression.

"Oh-okay, Colonel, sir," Callie said, offering a hand to shake. The Colonel didn't seem much like the hugging type. He nodded at her firm grip, seeming pleased. Or at least she hoped he was pleased. Arizona had told her that her father could be intimidating, but she'd more or less laughed it off. Obviously she needed to reevaluate. "I'm Callie. Arizona's really the only one that calls me Calliope."

"Very nice to meet you, Callie," Barbara said kindly. "If you'll give me a few minutes to get traveling grime off of me, I'd be happy to help you in the kitchen. And if there's anything around the house that's broken, you tell Daniel and he'll fix it."

Callie blinked in surprise, smiling. "Oh, well, Alex fixes most of the little stuff. I think the only thing he hasn't been able to get to yet is the compressor on the ice maker. We have the part, but Peds has been a bit overrun the last few days so Alex hasn't had time."

The Colonel was already rolling up his shirtsleeves. "Toolbox?"

"Under the sink, sir," Callie said. "Oh, but we can," she tried to interject as he started toward the kitchen, "we can do it…"

Barbara hooked Callie's elbow with one hand, smiling as she watched her husband leave. "Oh, dear, just let him go. He likes helping." Patting Callie's arm, her dimples were clear. "And if you don't mind the intrusion, I'd love to help you with dinner. It smells delicious."

"That would be great. Thank you."

"Maybe I could make dessert? Arizona's favorite is my peach cobbler."

Callie grinned. "That sounds wonderful, but I don't think we have any peaches."

Barbara patted her arm again. "We picked up ingredients on the way."

"You know your daughter very well," Callie observed, smile not slipping even as her stomach tightened with old, familiar pain. Her own mother had never been so involved in her life, even before her disastrous coming out and subsequently being cut off from her family.

The look in Arizona's mother's eyes was almost knowing and she hugged Callie's arm. "Well, now I want to learn more about someone who's so very important to my daughter."

"Um, learn _more_?" questioned the Latina, confused. "What do you know?"

"Oh, please, my dear, you've been all my little girl talks about for months now," Barbara said with a laugh. "I'd love to hear more firsthand." She released Callie's arm and gestured toward the stairs. "Just give me a moment."

Callie nodded, distracted by the idea that Arizona had been talking to her parents about her. Of course, if her parents spoke to her Arizona would be all she could talk about too. But had she told them about how royally she'd screwed up, told them about the marriage? They clearly knew that they lived together, not surprised to see her answering the door, but what else did they know? She had a feeling that if he knew she'd been married to a man while still dating Arizona, the Colonel's greeting wouldn't have been nearly as cordial as it had been. She assumed his reaction would be more like her own father's reaction would have been - someone against the wall with a hand around their throat.

Unconsciously rubbing her neck, Callie returned to the kitchen, checking her meal in the oven. Barbara seemed to know where everything she needed was in the kitchen, which wasn't so weird once Callie thought about it. It had been her house at some point. The Colonel had already pulled the fridge forward and out of its nook between the cabinets and was on his back behind it, paying no attention to the women as they cooked.

And while she cooked, Barbara Robbins talked. She talked about Arizona and her brother Timothy, about the various places they'd lived around the world. Callie answered her questions, talking about her time in the Peace Corp, her job at the hospital, a few of the cases she and Arizona had worked together, as well as her research.

The fridge was back in place, ice maker repaired, and the cobbler was in the oven by the time they heard the front door opening again, Arizona calling a greeting, "Honey, we're home!"

Callie and Barbara exchanged smiles and the older woman nodded her toward the hall. Arizona grinned as Callie appeared, though her exhaustion was plain to see. "Hey, gorgeous. How're the triplets?" She greeted her girlfriend with a quick, casual kiss.

"We had to do an emergency procedure on one of them, but she's going to make it. And the other two are stable," Arizona answered her, gratefully shrugging out of her coat and slumping into Callie's side, the brunette wrapping an arm around her.

"Dude, did you cook? Because I'm starving!" Typically, Alex cut through his own relief at finally being home and went straight for the smell of dinner in the air.

"It's on the table and dessert is in the oven," Callie said, giving him a smile. He cheered as he dropped his own jacket over the banister and shook the rain off of his head.

Callie moved to follow him toward the kitchen but Arizona stopped her. "You're awesome," she said quietly. She turned them, stepping forward and pushing Callie back gently against the wall. "Dinner might have to be reheated, though…" Her suggestion was clear, made clearer by Arizona's soft, dragging kisses down the side of her neck. She didn't bother to lower her voice, Alex knew how they were, knew she'd kick his ass if he ate all of the food.

Callie's throat went dry and her mind blank. "You're not too tired?" It was a ridiculous question to ask. Arizona's body was pressing her into the wall, lips sucking lightly on the rapidly increasing pulse in her neck. She clearly wasn't too tired. But they just as obviously couldn't skip dinner with her parents to tear each other's clothes off.

Of course, Arizona didn't actually know that her parents were there. In the kitchen. Probably listening.

Arizona shook her head without lifting her mouth. "Nope. Not tired. Hungry."

The growling words against her suddenly overheated skin made Callie's knees weak. Surely the Robbins wouldn't miss them for ten minutes. They could be quick, right?

Then Alex cleared his throat from the doorway. "Dude, stop making out."

"I don't want to," Arizona answered him, one hand sliding over the side of Callie's neck that she wasn't orally exploring.

"Whatever. I think your folks might want to talk to you, though." He left with a shrug, the door between the kitchen and hallway swinging behind him.

It took a moment for the words to sink past the haze of arousal, but when they did Arizona stiffened then jumped, leaning back to look up at Callie. "Did he say my parents? Did the phone ring?"

Callie swallowed hard, trying to force moisture back into her mouth. "Um, no, they're here, actually."

Arizona backpedaled quickly, stumbling over her own feet. "I'm - what - here? They're here?"

"In the kitchen," Callie confirmed, smiling. "Your mom helped me with dinner. And your dad fixed the ice maker in the fridge." Wide blue eyes blinked at her and Arizona dashed off, leaving Callie to catch her breath and make sure her knees weren't going to drop out from under her. Then her girlfriend was calling her into the kitchen and she joined the group, Arizona sliding an arm around her waist.

"You guys have been here having the inquisition with my girlfriend for _how_ long, exactly?" Arizona asked, pinning her parents with a look.

Callie glanced at both of them, biting her lip. Alex was clearly already familiar with them, sitting at the table with Barbara and scooping food eagerly onto his plate. "That's how you address your parents?" the Colonel asked, tone playful with his daughter.

"It is when you're trying to scare my girlfriend away, old man," Arizona shot back, laughing.

He answered her laugh, standing up to pull a chair out for her. "Who's scared?" he joked and Callie fought the urge to raise her hand in answer.

Arizona's blue eyes rolled and she sent a look up at Callie. "Did he introduce himself as '_the_ Colonel?'" Reluctantly, Callie nodded, Arizona gleeful with her success. "You need some new tricks, Pops."

"Hey! You want him to try _harder_ to scare me?" Callie objected, leaning over to grumble into her girlfriend's ear.

Arizona pulled her down into the chair beside her, the Colonel taking the seat at the head of the table, leaving Callie and Alex on either side of him. "You're not going to run away, are you?"

"Don't be stupid." Callie rolled her eyes.

Arizona gave her father a triumphant look, arching an eyebrow in victory at the Colonel. "See? You gotta step it up!"

He just shook his head, smiling at his daughter. "You've gotten sadly distrustful, my dear. Maybe I like Callie."

Arizona just scoffed confidently. "Of course you do!"

"Okay, let's eat!" Callie cut in, starting to feel a bit embarrassed by the focus on her. At least Arizona's father had said he liked her. That was her highest expectation for the night, glad that hearing Arizona proposition her in the hallway hadn't hurt her standing.

"Thank God!" agreed Alex, shoveling a bite of rice into his mouth.

"What's for dinner?" Arizona asked, sniffing the air appreciatively. "Because it smells like my two favorite things." Happily, Arizona reached forward and uncovered the baking dish. "You made my enchiladas?" Without the slightest bit of self-consciousness, she used both hands to hold Callie's face and kissed her slowly, deliberately dragging it out. "You're awesome," she murmured, taking another quick kiss. "Thank you." Alex mockingly gagged, ducking away as Barbara swatted the back of his head. "And thank you, Mom."

"For hitting Alex or for the cobbler in the oven?"

Arizona practically melted into her chair. "Both," she sighed. She moaned appreciatively around her first bite of homemade enchiladas, her favorite meal. "So, what are you guys doing here?" she asked after she swallowed, taking a sip of her water. Calliope liked to cook spicy.

Barbara smiled, shrugging. "You told us all about Callie here, but you've been hiding her from us."

Arizona rolled her eyes, poking up another bite on her fork. "You could have just said you wanted us to visit, Mom."

The older women answered her with a matching eye roll. "Because your first vacation with your girlfriend was going to be visiting your parents?" she asked incredulously. "Callie's lovely. She deserves somewhere nice."

Suddenly feeling shy and embarrassed, Arizona blushed, seeing Alex smirking at his plate. "_Mom_…"

"And of course we have to check on Alex." It was his turn to duck his head, hurriedly cramming an overly large bite of enchilada in his mouth, though he coughed on the spices. "And like it or not, it's your birthday tomorrow, Arizona. You couldn't have thought that we were going to just skip it."

Arizona groaned, grumbling under her breath and shooting a glare at her father. "What? You got away with it last year. You couldn't have expected more than that," he answered her wordless accusation.

"Wait," Callie interjected, surprised. "It's your birthday tomorrow?" Arizona didn't say anything, gnawing on her lip without a word. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

Alex cleared his throat. "Don't take it personally, Torres. She doesn't tell anybody."

"I don't like my birthday, I don't celebrate it," Arizona said, tone pointed at her parents. Her voice softened when she turned her eyes to Callie. "Calliope, I promise, it's not… I don't tell anybody." She grimaced. "Are you mad at me?"

"You weren't going to tell me it's your birthday?" Callie asked, unable to help feeling wounded.

Narrowing her eyes at her mother, Arizona deliberately sat forward and scooped another enchilada onto her plate and covered it with the tinfoil that had previously covered the baking dish. "Touch these and you're a dead man, Karev." She took Callie's hand, standing up. "You, come with me."

She pulled them into the living room, pushing Callie by her shoulders to sit on the couch. Hesitating for only a second, she dropped herself onto her girlfriend's lap, legs straddling her. "Arizona…" Callie started warningly, not eager to have any good opinion she'd managed to garner from her lover's parents go up in smoke because they were in such a compromising position.

"No, you need to listen to me," Arizona cut her off with two fingers on her lips as she shifted herself closer on her knees. Her chest brushed against Callie's as she took a deep breath. "I love you. That's the first thing. That's always the first thing, okay? I love you. And I wouldn't hurt you for the world. I don't celebrate my birthday because I don't like my birthday. I think it's pointless, and stupid, and I don't see the point in making a fuss about it…"

Callie frowned behind her fingers, confused. "You're worth making a fuss about," she said seriously, dragging the hand off of her mouth. "People should have _one_ day where people make a fuss about them." She squeezed Arizona's fingers. "Because there are a lot of people that think you're pretty awesome."

Sighing, Arizona shook her head slowly, cautiously smiling. "I get that. I just don't like them. They're just days, like any other days."

"Okay, well, you're not going to do it for you, you're going to do it for me," Callie countered, lifted eyebrow brooking no argument. "Because you being born means that I get to be this happy, so we're celebrating." Her hands settled on her girlfriend's hips. "And because your parents are here."

Groaning, Arizona closed her eyes. "My parents are insane," she sighed. "I'm _so_ sorry they just showed up like this - I would have warned you if I'd known they were going to do this…"

Callie laughed herself, dragging a hand across her girlfriend's cheek. "It's okay. I'm glad they're here. I wouldn't have known it's your birthday otherwise. And I'd have felt like a jerk if I'd missed it. I want to celebrate you."

Arizona's shoulders slumped in surrender. "Fine, but you owe me," she bargained petulantly.

Callie gave her a light slap on the butt and leaned up, Arizona automatically leaning into her in response. "Of course," she whispered her agreement. "The only question is if that counts as your birthday sex or not…" Arizona froze for a heartbeat, breath hitching in reaction. "You didn't think you might get extra sex on your birthday?" Callie asked, voice lilting teasingly. "Oh, but I forgot. You don't actually like your birthday. So you don't care about something stupid like birthday sex…"

Arizona captured her lips firmly instead of speaking, Callie's hands on her hips pulling her in closer. The blonde growled into the kiss at the feel of hands palming her butt, Callie using the grip as leverage to stretch up and keep herself in the kiss. They breathlessly separated as the oven timer went off in the kitchen. "Birthday sex is _not_ stupid, Calliope," Arizona panted, taking another kiss.

"Girls, dessert is ready if you want to eat some dinner while it cools down enough to eat," Barbara called from the doorway, not appearing fussed in the slightest to see her daughter sitting on her girlfriend.

"Okay, Mama, we'll be right there," Arizona answered her. "Don't let Alex take all the corner pieces!"

Callie was catching her breath and she grinned up at the woman still in her lap. "So, what? Have you never told one of your girlfriends about your birthday? Or did you just date girls that didn't give you birthday sex?" she asked cheerfully. "Cause, I'll tell you, if they didn't, they suck. Or is that why you don't like your birthday - you forgot about birthday sex?"

Arizona gave her a mock glare as she climbed reluctantly off of her lap. "I don't normally have girlfriends on my birthday," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders as she offered her hands to help Callie to her feet.

"Well, if I'd known, I might have waited and made your enchiladas tomorrow night," Callie said. "Do you have another favorite I could make?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it, babe." Arizona waved it off without thinking and got a cleared throat in warning. "I mean, how about we go out?"

Barbara gave them a smile as they returned to the kitchen and retook their seats, Alex already helping himself to seconds. "That would be alright," Callie agreed. "Can we call Teddy and Owen?" She could insist that Arizona submit to a birthday dinner with her parents, but if she really didn't want their friends to know that it was her birthday, Callie wasn't going to push. "I'll tell them we're just going out since your parents are in town."

Muttering, "You owe me," under her breath, Arizona nodded. "Yeah, that would be great."

Thankfully, Barbara carried the rest of the dinner conversation and claimed tiredness shortly after the meal, dragging the Colonel upstairs with her after they each said their goodnights. Alex was quick on their heels, claiming that he wanted to watch some TV in his room.

Callie was obviously walking on eggshells once they were alone and Arizona sighed. "I'm not like the birthday Grinch or something, Calliope." Brown eyes met hers hesitantly. "I agreed to dinner. I'm not going to be all grumpy because you _insist_ on showing me how much you love me." She grinned cheerfully, moving forward to wrap her arms around her girlfriend. "As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to _insist _you start showing me that now…"

Callie let herself be pulled along toward the stairs. That was never an opportunity she'd turn down.

* * *

><p>I was going to save this until later tonight, but my plans for the day just changed and who knows whether the site will actually still be working tonight, so here it is now... Hope you enjoyed it.<p> 


	17. Chapter 14

"Did we have to come _here_?" Callie asked as she went through the doors of Joe's, grinning sheepishly when she got a look from the proprietor on the other side of the counter.

Arizona, much too cheerful, answered promptly, "Yep. Because you all insisted that it was my choice. And I choose Joe's!" He sent her a wide smile from behind his bar, eyes narrowing at Callie again. "Cheer up, Calliope!" Arizona ordered as she moved to push several table tops together for their group. "Or suck it up, your choice. But if I have to be here and be perky, then so do you!"

Callie rolled her eyes. "I'm _never_ perky, Arizona," she reminded her as she dropped her purse in a chair and went to help her girlfriend.

The Robbins filed in behind them, Barbara just rolling her eyes at her daughter's choice of venue for her birthday dinner while the Colonel merely smirked and shook his head. Alex and Cristina slipped in and joined Arizona at the tables, sliding onto their stools. "Are the rest of your friends meeting us here?" Barbara asked, counting out chairs in her head against the list of guests her daughter had told her.

"Yeah, they'll show when they get off work," Arizona said easily, waving toward the bar. If she was doing this, she was going to drink. "Joe, could we get the first round?"

Callie and the Colonel collected their glasses from the bar and brought them back to the table. "Here you go."

Arizona rolled her eyes at the paper umbrella her girlfriend had put in her wineglass. "Cute," she murmured, bumping her with an elbow. "Real cute."

Callie smirked, passing a menu to the Robbins. The others were in the bar enough that Joe was familiar with their usual preferences and the bartender was quick with a batch of mozzarella sticks for the table.

Meredith and her husband Derek were the next to arrive, waving to Joe as they entered. Meredith didn't even touch a chair before Cristina was pulling her out toward the jukebox, the heart surgeon thinking nothing of snatching a dollar from Derek's open wallet. "Derek Shepherd," the tall, black-haired, Neuro god introduced himself. "And my wife, Meredith Grey."

Arizona introduced her parents politely, shaking her head as a fast-paced song started from the machine behind her, her two former roommates squeezing back past the tables to jump around in the middle of the room. There were other patrons in the bar but they didn't care.

"Very nice to meet you." Derek nodded, sipping his customary scotch. "Arizona must be happy that you're here. Whenever my mother comes to town I can't hide fast enough," he confessed with a laugh, shooting a smile at the glaring Peds surgeon across the table, Callie laughing into her own red wine.

The Colonel laughed, blue eyes twinkling. "Arizona's been very… gracious," he agreed, clearly choosing his words wisely.

"Yeah, after Torres threatened to hold out on her," Alex scoffed, not ducking fast enough when Arizona swatted the back of his head.

"That is _not_ what happened!" she protested, taking another sip of her wine. "Joe, could I get the buffalo chicken pizza?" She slid off her stool and pecked a kiss to Callie's cheek. "I'm going to dance."

"Dude, that's totally what happened," Karev insisted to Derek, rolling his eyes.

Callie just shook her head as Teddy entered. "Hey Teddy."

The Robbins turned at the name, clearly familiar with their daughter's best friend. "Mrs. R! Colonel!" she greeted them happily, taking a seat with them. "How have you been?"

The small talk was easy and comfortable, Meredith, Cristina, and Arizona dancing wildly just beyond the table. Owen joined them, chatting with the Colonel and Teddy about their mutual history in the military while Callie and Alex argued quietly over who was going to end up cutting the grass that weekend.

Arizona returned just as they were deciding to settle the issue with a drinking contest, the blonde sneaking a hand in to steal the shot glass from in front of Callie. "Karev, stop trying to get my girlfriend drunk. Calliope, come dance with me." Throwing back the shot herself and taking Callie's hand, she pulled her toward their impromptu dance floor, throwing both arms around the Latina's neck when Callie promptly dipped her.

"Are you having fun?" Callie asked as she pulled her back up, the blonde laughing giddily. "I know this wasn't what you wanted to be doing tonight." Adoring blue eyes were bright with happiness. Deny it all she wanted, but it sure _looked_ like Arizona was having fun.

"Oh, what I wanted to do tonight, we're still doing," Arizona promised with a dimpled grin, eyebrows bobbing playfully.

"Even if you're only doing it for me, you look like you're having a good night."

Arizona's arms looped around her neck drew her in, kissing her quick and hard. "I am having a good night," she agreed. "As long as no one mentions the b-word and I get to keep drinking and dancing with you, I'm good."

Callie's eyes rolled patiently. She couldn't really argue with that, could she? And it _was_ Arizona's birthday. Just because she wasn't eager to share that fact with everyone else, at least they weren't at home watching TV on the couch. "Dance with me, dance with Cristina, Meredith, everyone else in the bar, seems like you're up for a variety tonight," Callie teased lightly, spinning Arizona out and then back into her arms.

The blonde's hands reached behind her to grip her lover's hips, shimmying her butt back into Callie's front. "Really, Calliope? I dance like this with everyone?"

Spinning her back around, Callie was grinning. "Not if they want to walk out of here," she promised. "And not if you want to walk straight tomorrow."

Almost dizzy with the images that _that_ sent through her head, Arizona rose up on her toes to kiss her again firmly. This woman was going to be the death of her. There was every chance that this would be her last birthday if this kept up. But she wouldn't stop it either. Possessive Callie was hot as hell. And it was her birthday. The payoff from this could only be _spectacular_.

They only stopped dancing when Joe whistled that Arizona's pizza was ready, the blonde practically skipping back to the table and pulling Callie along behind her. Teddy greeted their return with hugs and a fresh round of drinks. The Peds surgeon ate a piece of her pizza in what seemed to be two seconds before she was dragging her best friend back out to dance, Callie shaking her head fondly while Alex pushed a shot glass to her to resume their abandoned drinking contest.

"Bring it, Karev," the Ortho surgeon said confidently, finishing her wine while he poured their shots.

Barbara interceded before things got to be too much, letting them each take two shots before she sent their glasses back to the bar. "I don't think anyone want to hear either of you throwing up all night," she reminded them wisely. She nodded toward Arizona still dancing and sent Callie a smile. "She really is happy to be out tonight, no matter what she says."

Callie smiled, watching her girlfriend goofing off. "Good." She didn't look away from the sight of Arizona jumping and spinning to the fast paced music. "Do you know why she hates her birthday so much?"

Shaking her head, the other woman sighed. "I wish I did, Callie. It's just always been one of her things. Of course, when she was a little girl she liked them for the presents and the cake and everything, but once she got into high school she just stopped and never got it back."

"But she's so _happy_," Callie reminded her unnecessarily, catching a smile from her girlfriend across the room. Even at the birthday party she didn't want, she couldn't help smiling. "She's so happy about everything, but she doesn't get excited about her own birthday?"

"That's just how she is, Torres," Alex chimed in, now nursing a beer. "You'll get used to it." He shrugged, his own eyes focused on Lexie Grey at the counter. "She never forgets somebody else's birthday," he added as though that was what was important about how Arizona thought of birthdays.

"Which gets you what?" Callie questioned sarcastically.

He grinned at her knowingly. "Normally a solo surgery and some good whiskey."

"She's a good girl," Barbara said, leaning her head against her husband's shoulder, the Colonel not listening to them, still swapping stories with Derek and Owen.

Arizona sent a glance in their direction a moment later and Callie slid off of her tall stool just as the song changed to something slower and the blonde crooked a finger at her, drawing her in. Teddy just smiled as she stepped aside.

"Can I have the next dance?" Callie asked, offering her hands.

"You can have all the dances, Calliope," came the cheerful answer.

Arizona's arms slipped over Callie's shoulders and curled behind her neck, fingers playing with dark hair. "So, are you having fun?" asked the brunette with a soft smile.

"I guess so," she hedged reluctantly, not wanting to admit that she really was grateful that Callie and her mother had insisted they go out. A smile grew slowly on her lips as she caught sight of her father standing up from his seat to offer his hand to her mother. "Calliope, look."

Turning them so she could see, Callie smiled. "Aww, your parents are so cute."

Arizona exchanged fond smiles with her mother, Callie leaning back to meet her eyes. "You'll still dance with me when we're super old, won't you?" she asked teasingly, getting a sharp swat from Barbara.

"We're so _super old_ we might just forget that we're not allowed to mention the occasion for this little event, darling," the elder Robbins told her cheerfully, displaying the dimples she'd given her children.

The Colonel laughed. "You should have known better than to mess with your mother. We _can_ still hear, you know."

Arizona glared playfully at her parents, clearly fond of them. "It's a miracle, old man!"

Callie wisely spun them away from the older couple before they could retaliate, exchanging grins with Barbara. "I'm glad your parents came to visit for your birthday," Arizona hissed to cover the sound of _the_ word, "They're sweet."

"They came to meet you," the blonde insisted. "The b-word is inconsequential."

Brown eyes rolled in disbelief. "Oh, _right_. They came to Seattle, not to see their only daughter for her birthday, but to meet _me_…"

"Their only daughter's girlfriend," Arizona added pointedly. "And they like to check in on Alex. They know he's trouble," she said with a wicked grin.

Callie laughed. "Your mom broke up our drinking game but I would have totally won."

"Don't you guys drink competitively at home?" Arizona wondered curiously, shaking her head as they danced.

"You always come in and interrupt us." Shrugging, Callie dipped her girlfriend, scattering kisses across the top of her chest. "I end up going upstairs with you and Karev declares it a forfeit."

Considering that, Arizona laughed. "I don't think I can argue with that outcome," she decided, feeling warmth radiating through her. She was having more fun than she'd expected (mostly because no one knew the occasion for their night out) but she wasn't going to admit it. Not that she seriously thought she could hide it from Callie. Not that she thought she could hide anything from Calliope.

"Yeah, I'm not complaining," agreed the brunette. "Believe me, I'm happy to lose." She caught sight of the Robbins dancing again and she smiled. That's exactly how she wanted to be with Arizona in forty years. She could almost _see_ it in her mind. "Do they pop in on your brother like this too? When he's around, I mean."

Arizona laughed, nodding. "Oh yeah, they do! It's my mom's favorite thing to do to us."

"Well, I think it's sweet."

Understanding, Arizona stepped in so their bodies were closer, rising on her toes to kiss her softly. "Calliope, my parents love you."

"They just met me yesterday."

"So what? I love you and I never shut up about you," countered Arizona. "And now that they've seen how happy you make me, they love you. And Tim's going to love you too." She brushed her lips against a soft cheek. "I'm _so_ sorry about your family though. I know it's not the same for you to get approval from somebody else's parents. But for what it's worth, another few days around you and my parents will love you more than they love me."

It earned her a scoff, an eye roll, and a smile. "Whatever. Moron."

Arizona faked outrage. "Hey! It's my birthday and this is how you talk to me?"

Further protest was cut off by a slow kiss, their swaying dance stilling as Arizona answered the kiss in the middle of the floor, fingers lacing through Callie's hair. She sucked a full bottom lip between her own, Callie's arms tightening around her waist to hold her against herself. It wasn't a passionate make-out in the midst of their friends at the bar, but simply a steadying, comforting reminder of what they meant to each other. No matter who she'd lost, she still had Arizona. And no matter how much Arizona didn't want to acknowledge it herself, there were people who loved her and wanted to show her, first among them Callie.

Blue eyes opened slowly as the kiss separated, taking a few blinks to focus. "Talk to me however you want as long as you kiss me like that," she decided, buzzing a little on the feeling of the kiss, Callie's body against her. She glanced around slowly. "Hey, I really appreciate all of this, the party and everything, but maybe we could go home?"

Callie nodded, spotting Joe put a pizza box on the bar with a knowing wink. She pointed it out with a smile, heart beating faster when Arizona gave the bartender a dimpled grin. God, she was beautiful. "We definitely should," she agreed, waving to the Robbins as Arizona darted to retrieve her leftovers. Alex would get the older couple home safely. Or, more likely, Barbara would drive him and the Colonel home safely. And possibly Teddy, who was starting to sway in her chair as she kept up with the military men drink for drink.

"Pizza in bed?" Arizona proposed as she reappeared at her side with the box, wide, hopeful smile on her face.

Callie couldn't help kissing her again, a quick kiss on those grinning lips. "You read my mind."

They kissed the whole way up to the front door, up the stairs, and into their bedroom, Arizona ending up on top of her girlfriend in the bed, dropping the pizza box to the floor. It would be there later when they wanted it. She wanted to work up an appetite first, though. Sitting up on Callie's hips, Arizona dragged her up with her, tugging the black shirt Callie wore up and off. She needed skin. And as much as she'd complained about it, it _was_ her birthday and she was going to cash in on some of the hot birthday sex Callie had promised her.

"Where do you want me?" Callie asked against her lips, nipping at her bottom lip and squeezing her butt simultaneously.

Arizona answered immediately, not needing to think, "Right here, but no clothes." Callie's hands moved to lift her up from where she was sitting on her, stripping off her clothing without losing her smile. Arizona's eyes were dark with need and she swallowed hard, her voice hoarse when she spoke. "I should have said I wanted you to do that but in slow motion and on me," she declared, not blinking as she surveyed her lover naked beneath her.

Callie leaned up on her elbows to trace kisses up her chest, her neck, her jaw, to meet her lips. "You want a lap dance?" she asked, voice husky and completely unselfconscious. "I can get dressed again," the Latina offered willingly. She would be more than happy to push Arizona's buttons like that but she had a feeling that the blonde had something specific in mind tonight that didn't involve her stripping to tease her.

"No," Arizona denied softly, head tilting to kiss her again, the contact soft and light. Drawing a breath in through her nose, she let her tongue explore the familiar recesses of her lover's mouth slowly. Callie sat up further, touch wandering across her chest, stomach, and around to grope her ass. "Pants. Off," Arizona ordered between deep, dragging, drugging kisses.

It took some doing, Arizona temporarily letting herself be dumped onto her back so Callie could push the pants free. As soon as Arizona had resumed her position of sitting over Callie's bare hips the brunette whipped her shirt over her head without prompting, the bra following it to the floor. Arizona laughed when she heard it hit the cardboard pizza box on the floor.

"What next?" Callie asked, Arizona on her knees to be taller, forcing her to crane up to keep kissing her. She would do anything it took to keep kissing her. In answer, Arizona's hand snaked in between them, fingers splitting Callie's wet lips. The other hand pushed her down onto her back gently through light pressure on her chest.

Then Arizona's hips were shifting, lowering into place against her and she thrust herself lightly against Callie's core. The heat, the wetness, the friction of clit against clit, was _fucking_ _unbelievable_ and Callie's eyes fluttered closed before she forced them open. Because if this was how Arizona wanted it, she was going to watch every single second of her girlfriend riding her like this.

"Oh shit!" Arizona moaned after the first thrust, Callie's hands on her hips coaxing her into another, helping her set a rhythm. "Can you come like this?" she requested breathlessly, her own eyes still closed as she tried to absorb every sensation. She really could learn to love her birthday if it got her this. Or at least parts of her birthday. _This_ part of her birthday. The hot, hot, _smoking hot_ sex with Callie on her birthday. She could definitely get to love this part.

Callie gasped and grunted as Arizona leaned over to kiss her and changed the angle of contact between them. She had to fight the urge to laugh though. Arizona freaking Robbins was on top of her, making love to her, and she wanted to know if she could come? "Yes," she ground out, pulling her lover's hips into a stronger push against her. It would take longer than it usually did to reach orgasm in this position, but Arizona was rocking into her center. She would absolutely get there.

Gasping her agreement, Arizona's head fell back on her neck as she sat back up, bracing her herself on her hands while her hips were in Callie's strong, capable grip. "This is fucking incredible, Calliope," she breathed, feeling sweat beading at the back of her neck. "Harder, a little harder," she requested, moaning wantonly when she felt Callie's hips rise to meet her next thrust while the hands on her hips picked up their pace eagerly.

Their centers were both soaked, juices mixing between their thrusting bodies, but it wasn't enough. Arizona could feel her orgasm building with every stroke, every touch of Callie's fingers against her overheated flesh, but she wouldn't go over without more. "Calliope, she pleaded, eyes opening to find her lover below her.

Knowing what she needed, Callie sat up without disturbing their rhythm. "I've got you," she promised. The kiss was deep and slow, tip of her tongue tracing the edges of Arizona's panting lips before she finally connected them, Arizona moaning and melting into the touch - exactly what she'd needed to meet the edge of her pleasure. Below the waist, Callie planted her feet flat on the mattress and pushed her hips up hard and held, feeling Arizona's body tighten, shudder, and come, the cry of release screamed into Callie's mouth. Feeling the edge of her own orgasm, Callie's hands held Arizona's hips in position while she jerked her body upward into a final few quick, hard thrusts against the blonde's pubic bone before she came herself.

Flopping bonelessly beside Callie, legs still tangled together, Arizona struggled to catch her breath, slow her pounding heart. Callie followed her, leaning up on one arm to brush hair off the back of her sweaty neck and kissing down her spine. "How was that? Was that what you wanted for your birthday?" she asked, clearly pleased and smug. She didn't need an answer - she knew exactly how Arizona felt about what they'd just done because she felt it herself.

"That was fucking _awesome_, Calliope," Arizona declared breathlessly. She smiled against the sheets when the kisses kept going down her back. Then hands guided her hips up, coaxing her knees back under her. "What're you doing?" she asked, smiling and nuzzling her head deeper into the pillow she dragged under her head.

"Oh, I'm going down on you," Callie answered matter-of-factly, tone making it clear that it should have been obvious. She settled herself between her girlfriend's legs, her center hovering over her face. "Is that okay with you?" she questioned happily, leaning her head back to catch a glimpse of Arizona's smile.

Arizona just moaned her contented agreement. She freaking _loved _her birthday. It was all she could do to hold back a shriek when Callie started humming 'Happy Birthday to You' into her core while she drank up every bit of her she could get. She most _definitely _loved her birthday after this. At least the sex part of it.


	18. Chapter 15

Callie fumbled with her key in the front door, the cold weather making it stick, but it finally popped open and she could hear Arizona's voice as soon as she entered.

"You'll see," Arizona declared confidently. "She's awesome." She sat up to look over the screen of her laptop as she heard Callie come in. "Calliope, you're home! Come here!"

She was clearly excited and the Latina hung up her jacket and moved toward her girlfriend. "What's up?"

"She's coming! Hold your horses!" Arizona said, Callie frowning as it seemed like she was talking to the computer she had just put on the coffee table.

"Um, babe, are you talking to the computer?"

"No!" a new voice said, male and clearly amused. "She's a crazy person! Run for your life!"

Arizona laughed, shaking her head. "No, I mean, yes, I'm kind of talking to the computer. But really it's my brother. He wants to meet you!" Callie's steps across the room faltered and she unconsciously ran both hands over her hair, attempting to fix unseen issues. "Oh, stop that. You look gorgeous," Arizona said, waving her in. "You'll see, Tim. She's totally hot," she said confidently.

"Arizona!"

Blue eyes just blinked innocently at her. "What? You're hot, Calliope. It's not like I'm lying to him."

"You do know I live in the desert with a hundred and fifty men, right?" Tim chimed in from the computer. "If she's as hot as you say, you're probably just trying to torture me."

Arizona scoffed. "She's at _least_ as hot as I said! Baby, come here and meet my big brother," she coaxed. "Please? I've been bragging and he says I'm full of shit." She pointed into the camera. "I know Mom and Dad backed me up, though. They love her!"

"Seeing is believing, little sister," Tim countered reasonably. "Let me see her."

Callie listened to the siblings bicker with a fond smile. She'd been right - it _was _startlingly similar to how Arizona and Alex were with each other. "Okay, I'm coming," she agreed, running one more hand through her hair. Taking a seat on the couch beside Arizona, she smiled at the man on the screen. "Hi, I guess. I'm Callie."

"Some call me… Tim," he replied, adopting a goofy voice and quoting Monty Python. He had his sister's dimples but his blonde hair was dark and sandy in color and his eyes were brown where Arizona's were blue. But he was just as good looking. The Robbins siblings had surely broken many hearts. Women of wherever they lived, beware. She could only imagine how it was when they were together. "Okay, you're right, she's very beautiful."

Arizona rolled her eyes, familiar with her brother's favorite joke and completely unconscious flirty nature. "You're an enchanter all right," she muttered sarcastically. "Come on, dude, she's my girlfriend!"

"Dude?" he questioned. "Is Karev still hanging around? Has he tried anything? Because I'll kick his ass!"

That made them both laugh. "No, Tim. Alex doesn't 'try anything' on me because he knows I'm a lesbian, and his boss, and I have a girlfriend."

"Who would also kick his ass," Callie chimed in. She genuinely liked Alex, but if she thought for a second that he would try anything on Arizona, she'd hit him with a brick.

Arizona elbowed her gently, but Tim grinned, clearly pleased. "That's what I'm talking about! Somebody sniffs around your girl, you gotta knock 'em _out_!" he declared, demonstrating by punching a fist into his other hand.

"Okay, stop it with the macho bullshit," ordered Arizona, eyes still rolling. For some reason, what was annoying from her brother was incredibly hot from her girlfriend.

"You wanted us to meet, let us talk," Tim countered, smiling at Callie. "So I hear you went home with my sister but you were still married to some guy… What's that about?"

"Whoa!" Arizona interjected, eyes going wide. "No! We're not - I'm going to _kill_ you!" she hissed at the screen. "We're not talking about that, Timothy!"

"I say we are," he said, clearly not worried by his sister's wrath. "Callie?"

"You told him about that?" the Latina questioned her girlfriend, surprised.

Arizona shrugged sheepishly, biting her bottom lip. "I don't have any secrets from Tim." Her eyes rolled at the camera. "Though, clearly I _should_!" He just shrugged unapologetically. "Calliope, you don't have to - you don't answer to him…"

Callie shook her head gamely. "No, it's okay. Tim, I was separated from my husband whenever I met Arizona. We'd been separated for months - three times as long as we were even married. He cheated on me and I left him."

"And was my sister a rebound for you?"

Arizona groaned her brother's name, but Callie put a hand on her leg to calm her. "Absolutely not." She glanced sideways with a smile. "We might not have started dating in the most conventional way, but I love your sister. I'm divorced, Arizona and I live together, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Dad likes her," Arizona interjected. "And I like how we started dating!"

"Of course you do," countered her brother, his eyes rolling. "You got drunk, took a hot girl's clothes off, and then she showed up at your work the next day and asked you out. And Dad liked Joanne, so…."

Arizona's jaw dropped. "I know you didn't just say that name to me, Timothy Michael Robbins!" Her voice was abruptly cold and he was already grimacing apologetically, realizing he'd crossed a line. Callie was instantly curious but held her tongue. Clearly, the subject of this Joanne was one Arizona didn't like. "And as I recall, _you_ liked Joanne more than a little bit yourself!"

Oh, Callie reflected quietly. That's how it was. Damn… She rubbed the top of Arizona's thigh soothingly, back and forth over the denim of her jeans, watching the muscles in her jaw clench and relax. She hated to think it, but when it wasn't directed at her (and sometimes even when it was) angry Arizona was _hot_.

"Arizona, I'm sorry," Timothy offered meekly. "It was high school, and I will never say that name to you again, I swear. I'm sorry. It's great that Dad likes Callie. And you love Callie. That's what matters." Both siblings straightened as their last name was yelled in the background on Tim's side of things. "Shit, I've got to go, but we'll talk soon, okay?" Arizona just nodded, still fuming at her brother. "I love you, sis."

"I love you too," she answered. Even angry, she wasn't going to end the call without saying it. "Be careful."

He gave her a cocky grin and a wink. "You know it." His eyes, brown like their mother's instead of blue like their father's, shifted to Callie. "And very nice to meet you, Callie. Take care of her, alright?"

She nodded, suddenly hoarse. "Yeah, of course. Nice to meet you too."

The video cut out, the monitor going back to displaying the program's logo, and Arizona pushed the screen down and shut the computer. She was quiet as she leaned back into the couch, Callie's hand still on her leg. "So, that was my brother Tim," she said finally. "The jerk."

"Hey," Callie called, turning her head with one hand. "I'm glad I got to meet him, sort of, on the computer, or whatever." Arizona just grumbled, still petulant. "Hey, I think it's sweet that he wants to meet your girlfriend."

Arizona gave her a questioning look. "Do you want me to meet your family? Because I'll do it…"

Callie just laughed, shaking her head. "No. I wouldn't do that to you." Even when her sister was speaking to her, she could be a bitch and she told Arizona so. "It's better this way." The blue eyes she loved still looked doubtful. "Trust me, babe. I could not be happier that your family likes me, but…"

"You think your family wouldn't like me?"

"I think my family doesn't like _me_," Callie corrected her. "At least not a big, important part of me. If they could get their heads out of their asses, they would love you. Because you're amazing. And you make me happier than I've ever been in my life. But they won't," she shrugged, "They gave up on me a long time ago, Arizona. Long before I met you." A frown crossed her girlfriend's pretty face. "Don't look like that," Callie requested with a sigh. "They don't want to know us, that's their loss. Because we are awesome."

Arizona leaned into her, her head finding its place on Callie's shoulder, arm curling protectively over her waist. "We _are_ awesome," she agreed, voice quiet. "It's totally their loss, but I'm happy to know you."

Callie wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. "Let's talk about something else," she said. Somehow a good day had become full of intense personal conversation topics. They talked, but discussing being cut off from her family wasn't something she wanted to do while Arizona was still so clearly annoyed after her brother's misspeak.

"Okay," Arizona agreed, still quiet as she squirmed into Callie's side.

Before either one of them could come up with a topic Alex stomped down the stairs. He took in their quiet appearance, sensing something in the atmosphere. "You guys okay?" He leaned in the doorframe, arms crossing his chest. "Do I need to kick somebody's ass?"

Callie chuckled, leaning her head against Arizona's. "No, Karev, thanks anyway, though."

"Why're you both all moody, then? Is it that time…?"

"Oh my God," Arizona muttered, feeling Callie's lips twitch against her forehead. "Alex…"

He smirked, ducking his head to hide it. "I was going to pick up some Chinese," he said. "You want some? I could grab some tequila from Joe's too."

Arizona traced a question mark on Callie's side, not looking up at her. She was still frustrated with her brother, sad for Callie, stunned that her family couldn't see how miraculous their daughter was. Suddenly, getting drunk with her girlfriend and her roommate sounded completely perfect. "My credit card's in my wallet," she answered him. "Want to split some Lo Mien, Calliope?"

"Perfect," Callie murmured, kissing the side of her girlfriend's head. "Can we get some rice too?"

Arizona smiled, nodding against Callie's shoulder. "Of course. Karev, my girl wants rice and Lo Mien."

He nodded, arms still crossing his chest. "I'm on it, boss. Gotta keep your girl happy."

"Damn straight," Arizona declared. "Put some gas in your car on my card since you're going to pick it up."

"Thanks." He found her wallet in her purse hanging on the base of the banister and was out the front door, the rumble of his vintage Camaro audible from inside.

Callie sighed, taking a deep breath and holding it. "You do make me happy," she said softly as she let it out. "Happier than I've ever been…" If Arizona didn't know that she would cry. She'd never felt anything like she felt with Arizona. Her happiest moment with George didn't hold a candle to even a casual moment with the woman in her arms.

Arizona didn't answer, didn't have to, she just nestled closer.

They hadn't moved when the front door opened and Alex returned, his arms full of bags. He didn't bother with the kitchen, unpacking on the coffee table instead. He handed the carton of fried rice to Callie, the Lo Mien to Arizona, and rounded the couch to collect three shot glasses.

Callie smiled when her plastic fork collided with Arizona's over the rice, playfully bumping her girlfriend's hand away. Arizona retaliated with a laugh, stabbing for the noodles only to have Callie intercept her, hands tussling while they both laughed. Arizona managed to get noodles spiraled around her fork, but instead of eating them herself, she offered them to Callie, other hand cupped underneath the fork to keep sauce from dripping on either of their shirts. Callie took the bite, and a kiss on the cheek, and smiled. The tension that had been lingering in each of them since their conversation with Tim and the talk after was finally relaxing.

From the other end of the couch, Alex gagged into his own dinner, rolling his eyes. "If you're going to do the scene from 'Lady and the Tramp' with some noodles, let me know so I can go hurl."

Callie grinned over Arizona's head. "Aww, Karev, I have no idea you were a 'Lady and the Tramp' fan."

He just snorted, stabbing a piece of chicken out of his own carton. "Please. I've just lived with your girlfriend for five years. I've seen all those Disney movies whether I liked it or not."

"You liked it," Arizona shot back. "Nothing to be ashamed about, Alex." Teasingly, she carefully maneuvered a single noodle to drape over the tines of her fork. She wiggled her eyebrows at Callie. "Lady?"

Callie rolled her eyes. "Moron," she answered her, the word tinged with affection.

Narrowing her eyes, Arizona slurped the noodle up herself. "Fine," she declared after she swallowed. "No noodle kiss for you, then."

"Thank God," Alex muttered.

The Ortho surgeon shot him another look, leaving her fork in her box of rice and using both hands to hold Arizona's face, drawing her in and licking the sauce from her lip with deliberate slowness. Arizona's mouth dropped open to suck in a breath and Callie took the invitation, kissing her slowly. Fingers slid over a pale cheek and into soft blonde hair.

She loved kissing Arizona. There was nothing like it. No one else she'd ever kissed even came close. Arizona was it for her. She knew it and she prayed every day that Arizona knew it too. Hands came up to frame her face, Arizona as unable to resist touching her as completely as Callie was unable to keep her hands to herself. The grip in her hair tightened and she dimly heard a throaty groan escape.

"I'm drinking," Alex declared loudly, twisting the cap off of the tequila and pouring himself a generous shot. He hissed as he swallowed it, squeezing his eyes closed. One hand swatted at Arizona's shoulder. "You guys make out later. Shots now."

The blonde pulled back from the kiss to growl at him, one hand shoving his hand away from her. "Fine, pour the shots, Alex." Her eyes were apologetic, but Callie waved it off, smiling and shaking her head.

"Don't apologize for kissing me like that," she whispered, leaning in to breathe the words into her girlfriend's neck.

Arizona laughed, taking the shots from Alex. "You kissed me," she corrected her, voice just as soft as she handed Callie one of the narrow glasses.

The shot glasses belonged to her parents, one of the few things that had traveled with them around the world - their collection of shot glasses ever expanding with her mother picking up new ones wherever they went. Now that they were retired, the collection stayed in Seattle with her while they continued roaming the globe. Suddenly Arizona remembered what her mother had said about taking Callie somewhere nice. It needed to happen sooner rather than later. Or it needed to happen sooner and then could happen _again_ later. Either way, it needed to happen soon…

"You kissed me back." Callie raised one eyebrow and threw back the shot, coughing as she swallowed the liquor.

Arizona whooped out loud as she tossed back her own, shaking her head furiously. Callie's grin was cocky and Arizona gasped for another, leaning forward to offer her glass to Karev. Her girlfriend was gorgeous, absolutely stunning, breathtaking. She definitely deserved a nice vacation. If she remembered any of this when she woke up the next morning, she'd have to make sure and talk to the Chief about some time off for the two of them.

* * *

><p>Only one more chapter left in part one of the story - anyone up for the sequel? Let me hear it!<p> 


	19. Chapter 16

Arizona was busy on her laptop on the sofa when Callie came down the stairs fresh from the shower and with a new book. "Hey, gorgeous," she greeted her, dropping a kiss on her cheek as she went around the couch to flop into a chair with her book. "What are you doing over there?"

"Comparing ticket prices." Fingers clicked on the keys as she kept her attention on the computer while Callie sent her a thoughtful look over the edge of her book.

When no more details were forthcoming, the Latina asked, "Tickets for what?"

Arizona grinned, enjoying having a bit of intrigue. "Something my mom said when she was here."

"Run?" Callie guessed, smirking when that earned her a sharp glance.

"No, _Calliope_," Arizona shot back. "She said you deserve a nice vacation." And she wanted selfishly to see her beautiful girlfriend on a beach in a bikini somewhere. Spain and Fiji were her personal choices right now, but she'd happily give the final choice to Callie. She'd already investigated their time off with the Chief. "We could take four days in two weeks but if we wait until the end of the month we could take a week."

Callie just blinked chocolate eyes at her, her mouth dropping open in surprise. "You want to take a vacation together?"

She sounded so shocked that Arizona's fingers hesitated on their keys. "Um, yes? Do you… not want to?" They'd been together now for eleven months, living together for four of them, and she'd just assumed…

"What? No! I want to go! I definitely want to go away with you!" Callie corrected herself, dropping her book on the chair and moving to join Arizona on the couch, snuggling up to her side and resting her head on Arizona's shoulder so that she could see the screen. "So, where are we going?" she asked eagerly. She silently prayed for an opportunity to see her sexy blonde lover in a bikini, possibly even on a beach. She missed the beach. Seattle was lovely, but she missed the hot Miami sun. It was the only thing she missed about Miami and that was only rarely.

"I want to go somewhere where you wear very little," Arizona chimed in with her opinion. "I want a beach, and you in a bikini, and sangrias." She shrugged lightly, biting her lip at the mental images her imagination provided. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Callie laughed, snaking one hand under her girlfriend's elbow to play with the hem of her shirt, fingers flicking idly against the edge. "As long as you're wearing one too," she requested, slipping a hand under the t-shirt for a quick second to slide over smooth, warm skin. Skin she wanted to see under bright sun somewhere.

"You've got a deal," promised Arizona eagerly. "So, I was looking around and my cousin has a timeshare in Fiji that we could use. But the flights to Spain are cheaper, so it's kind of even either way. You just have to pick one."

"Me?" Callie questioned. "Why am I picking?"

Arizona's head turned to plant a kiss to her temple. "Because where the beach is doesn't matter to me as long as I'm there with you."

"Arizona, you're sweet, but…"

"You pick, Calliope," Arizona insisted. "I've never been to Spain if that does anything for your choice. I mean, I've been to the US base in Spain, but that's not the same thing as sexy time on the beach with my girlfriend."

Callie laughed. "Uh-huh, so you're telling me that you lived in Spain and never took a girl to the beach? I don't believe you."

"We didn't live there," she clarified. "We stopped there briefly. I didn't even get to go to the beach!"

"Well, then we're going to Spain. Because you need to see the beach," Callie declared, nodding toward the computer in Arizona's lap.

The blonde decisively clicked on the Spanish options and Callie smiled to herself. "Great, so now we just need to figure out if we're going sooner or-"

"End of the month," Callie decided quickly. "I can wait for more time in Spain with you." She bumped her nose against Arizona's jaw, kissing up toward her ear.

Arizona's eyes fluttered closed when lips found her earlobe, Callie sucking lightly. "Calliope…" she started to protest, completely unable to focus when a hand slipped back under her t-shirt. Thank goodness her laptop remembered her credit card information because getting her wallet was impossible at the moment, to say nothing of trying to type all of those numbers accurately while Callie was putting hands and lips on her.

"Hurry up," Callie pulled back to whisper, teeth nipping at her ear again, the hand under Arizona's shirt roaming upwards. But the front door opened before she could get anywhere, Alex whistling sharply to snap her out of her lustful haze. Withdrawing with a growl, Callie leaned around Arizona to glare at him. "I hate you," she said plainly, rolling her eyes as she leaned back against the other arm of the couch and away from her girlfriend.

"Whatever, Torres. You both have good boobs, but I'd rather not get killed for seeing them," he pointed out reasonably, gesturing to Arizona in evidence when she turned her head to shoot a warning glare at him. "See?"

Arizona finished booking their tickets and snapped her laptop closed, putting it on the coffee table and replacing it with Callie's feet in her lap. "Hey, we're going on vacation at the end of the month," she informed him, leaning her head against the back of the couch to look at him upside down. "So just keep your visitors out of our room," she requested. "And no sex in Calliope's kitchen." She and Alex might have lived there longer, but they all knew it was Callie's kitchen. The brunette just smiled, crossing her arms behind her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the rules," he said, waving her off. "Where you guys going?"

"Spain," Callie answered happily. "For a week."

Alex grinned. "Nice," he congratulated her, the pair knocking fists as he passed them to get to the laundry room. Arizona just rolled her eyes, completely unconsciously rubbing Callie's feet gently. "What are you guys doing tonight?"

"You interrupted what we were doing tonight," Arizona complained, still rubbing her thumbs into Callie's soles.

"We've got a pretty good backup plan now, though," added Callie, making herself more comfortable and poking Arizona's hip with a toe. Blue eyes rolled at her again. "You started it. I didn't ask you to start rubbing my feet."

Arizona didn't stop her massage, Callie catching her book when Alex tossed it to her as he took the seat she'd been briefly using. Finding her page in the novel, she went back to reading quietly while Arizona and her protégé discussed a case they'd been working on - a ten year old girl with a pervasive, fast growing, and aggressive tumor in her abdomen.

Working with Bailey and the Chief, it took days to plan the surgery - the tumor wrapping itself around almost every organ in her torso. From all accounts, it was an inoperable tumor. But they were going to attempt to take out six of her organs, clear out the tumor, and then put everything back in.

It was going to be an intense surgery and the gallery was already crowded when Callie and Teddy squeezed in to watch their friends operate. "You think they're ready?" Teddy asked, leaning against the wall behind Callie, her height making it easier to watch over her shoulder.

Callie sighed, her arms crossed as she watched them prep, smiling as Arizona looked up at her from underneath her pink scrub cap. "This has been all she and Karev talk about at home. They're ready."

"And your vacation," she added knowingly. She'd listened to her best friend chattering about Spain for days now. "Are you guys ready to go?" Teddy questioned with a smile.

"We still have three weeks, but the hotel and flights are all booked," answered Callie, not taking her eyes off the OR below.

The heart surgeon shrugged. "If they pull this off, that'll be a pretty nice reward to look forward to."

"Definitely," Callie agreed, her mind instantly supplying a more immediate reward that she could offer her girlfriend. She was going to have to get a new bikini and it would need to be tried on, wouldn't it? And Arizona would surely appreciate that. "Spain's gorgeous. Arizona said she'd been to the base there but just for a short visit, I guess. She said she didn't get to go to the beach."

"I've been, but it was just a quick stop. I spent more time in Germany," Teddy said thoughtfully.

Callie laughed, glancing over her shoulder at her friend. "Well, I'd invite you with us, but…"

"Oh, thanks, but no thanks," Teddy said with a laugh. "I have _no_ desire to get on Arizona's bad side by keeping her from getting sex."

Smirking, Callie rolled her eyes. "We're not _that _bad. And you being there wouldn't keep her from getting sex."

"Oh, I know! That's exactly why I couldn't be around. I can't hear that!" declared Teddy, pushing her friend's shoulder lightly.

A resident hushed them and the two attendings shot disbelieving looks at him, Callie pointing his eyes forward sharply while he sat up straighter in his seat and Teddy laughed into her curled fist. "Are you going to get to watch the whole thing? Because I've got a knee replacement in half an hour."

"You can probably get back to see the end," Teddy mused. "How fast could they really finish replacing _six_ organs? They'll be in here all day."

"You don't have anywhere else to be?"

Teddy scoffed. "Yang jumped at the chance to cover Cardio for the day. She'll page me if something comes in. I'm watching _this._"

Callie caught Arizona's eyes again as she lined up in her place at the table across from Bailey. She couldn't see half of her face, but could read the nerves in her eyes before Arizona's coolly professional, hardcore surgeon mask dropped into place. "You got this, baby," Callie mouthed silently, seeing the smile crinkle the corners of her girlfriend's eyes. "I gotta go," she said reluctantly, edging around Teddy. "If you can get a seat in a few hours, save me one."

"You got it," Teddy promised.

She made it back in time to watch them replace four of the organs, though it was still standing room only in the gallery, every resident in the hospital eager to watch the groundbreaking surgery going on in the OR below them. There was a touch-and-go moment where they thought the kidneys weren't going to come back after they'd been replaced, but they worked it out, the gallery bursting into applause as everything abruptly stabilized.

Arizona's eyes were bright as she looked up to find Callie, her smile visible even through her surgical mask. Callie let her own wide, proud smile show. Her girlfriend was amazing. Incredible. Awesome, even.

As they closed, Callie nudged Teddy lightly, leaning over to whisper to her. "Hey, I'm going to go home, so tell them they did great for me, okay?"

Teddy blinked, hand on Callie's arm keeping her in her spot. "What? You're seriously not going to stay and see her after this? Seriously? With the way you two go at it after big surgeries? Arizona just had one of the biggest surgeries of her life and you're going home? _Seriously_?"

"I have something else in mind," Callie said, smiling to herself. "Just tell her I'm at home."

Teddy was still shocked, disbelieving. "I guess that'll keep the people in the third floor hallway innocent for a little while longer. But you have to know that Arizona's going to be driving like a bat out of hell to get home."

Callie's eyes narrowed. "She better drive safely or I'll kick her ass," she promised seriously. "Tell her."

"I'll tell her," Teddy agreed, clearly still confused.

The front door slammed open just as Callie poured the wine a half hour later, the Latina hearing her girlfriend's shocked intake of breath as she slid to a stop in the kitchen doorway on her wheels. "Oh my _God_." Her throat was dry. She might never swallow again, she decided. And then the drooling started and she mentally reevaluated. "Calliope, you look…"

Clearly the red bikini had been a good choice. It had always been a good color on her. "Congratulations, Arizona. You did it! I'm so proud of you!"

Arizona kicked off her wheelie sneakers, moving slowly toward the other woman. Her eyes were locked on her lover's form, drinking in the sight of all the warm olive skin on display. "You're not wearing clothes," she said dumbly, shuffling forward a few steps. Callie was holding wineglasses but Arizona clearly wasn't paying attention to that. "In our kitchen," the blonde added. "You're not wearing clothes in our kitchen."

Callie smiled, nodding. "It's my bikini," she clarified. "Just trying it on. For our vacation."

Arizona moved close enough to touch, fingertips dragging over tanned skin. "You have underwear that covers more," she observed stupidly. Her brain might never come back from this. Spain was going to kill her. Between the sun and Calliope, she was simply just going to melt.

Looking down at herself, Callie smirked, turning from side to side to check herself out. She knew she looked hot. "I have another -"

"_No_!" Arizona barked sharply, eyes still wide. "Not complaining, here. Just observing." She finally blinked, appearing to snap out of it somewhat. "Wait, what if Alex had come home with me? He'd have seen," her hand gestured down the length of Callie's delectable body, "_all_ of this."

"So?" questioned Callie, still smirking. "It's not like I'm naked, Arizona."

"_So_?" the blonde demanded. "No '_so_?', Calliope! I don't want him seeing you like this!"

Chuckling, Callie put a wineglass into her hand, curling her fingers around the stem. "So, just to be clear, do you _want_ me to bring this to Spain, or not?" She took a sip of her own wine. "Because I'm pretty sure there will be men in Spain, babe."

"I'm going to need to take bricks on vacation with me!" Arizona cried, gesturing toward her again. "You're too hot, Calliope! And you're _definitely_ taking that to Spain."

Callie clinked her glass against Arizona's, smiling sweetly. "You did so amazing today. I'm so proud of you."

Arizona's dimples popped as she grinned excitedly. "Thank you. And I was glad you were there." She narrowed her eyes a moment later. "But then Teddy told me you went home and I was confused." She took a sip of her own wine, her favorite white, of course. When Callie was good, she was _good_. "I thought you might not want to celebrate the way we normally do when we rock a surgery."

Brown eyes just rolled. "Don't be ridiculous. Would I be wearing my bikini in the kitchen if I didn't want you to get me naked? I even made it easier for you, less clothes for you to take off and all."

A blonde eyebrow rose as Arizona stepped closer, one hand reaching behind Callie for the wine bottle. "Oh, you think I can't handle layers, Calliope? Because I pulled off a _pretty_ impressive surgery today, remember? I've got a lot of skills!"

Callie grinned, bobbing her eyebrows back at her. "Well, let's see them then, baby!"

One hand carefully held her glass and the bottle, the neck laced between her fingers, and the other hand hooked through the string of fabric between Callie's breasts. "You'll feel them," she promised, Callie following her quickly to keep from having her top torn off right there in the kitchen.

It was torn off just inside their bedroom instead, Arizona tossing it aside to cup a breast in her hands. "Baby, the wine…" Callie warned her, Arizona shoving the bottle and glass into Callie's free hand so she could touch the other breast.

"Your body is fantastic," Arizona gasped, burying her face in between warm flesh and kissing, licking, and sucking everything she could get her lips on. "I love it," she carried on, shifting her mouth to suck on a nipple.

Callie could only push the cork back into the wine and drop it on the foot of the bed, praying that it wouldn't leak, and drain the last bit of her wine from the glass before they followed the path of the bottle and landed with a bounce on the comforter. Arizona loved her curves, worshipped her breasts and stomach and hips, which made her love them too. Because when Arizona looked at her, it was clear how she saw her, how much the sight of her, exactly the way she was, fascinated her. "I love _you_," she breathed in response, chest arching into Arizona's mouth, freely letting her take whatever she wanted.

Stumbling backwards, they fell into the bed, Callie pinned under Arizona. The blonde head moved to the other breast, swirling her tongue around a second tight nipple. Callie lifted her hips to kick off her bikini bottoms but Arizona lifted her head unexpectedly from her task. "What are you doing?" she questioned, blue irises darkened by want.

"Um, getting naked?" answered Callie uncertainly, not sure why removing clothes had gotten Arizona to stop what she was doing.

"Leave them," Arizona requested, kissing her lips quickly before trailing her mouth back down to her chest. "I can work around them," she said, nuzzling between heaving breasts, Callie's breathing short and hard under her. "I need to practice for when I fuck you on the beach," she continued, smiling against tan skin when that garnered her a needy, wanton moan. "You can be topless, but no way in hell am I letting your bottoms come off outside of our room."

Callie arched into her lover's body over her when Arizona's hand slid between her legs, wiggling to coax her thighs apart. And true to her word, Arizona didn't pull the bikini bottoms off, just shifted them aside so she could thrust inside her. "Oh God," she groaned. "Oh _fuck_!" Arizona seemed content with a slow, deep, plunging rhythm that was backed by her hips while her tongue and teeth and hot mouth attended to Callie's chest. "You'd really let me go topless?" Callie asked when she could speak, surprised by that announcement.

"What?" Arizona asked distractedly, her next thrust hitting harder inside her. This goddess was _hers_. And no hot Spanish person was going to set eyes on what was going on under Callie's bikini. "No," she declared. She delivered a smacking kiss to the top of each breast as her body rocked into Callie's. "Mine." She was resolute and she curled her fingers with a wicked grin. "This is mine too."

"That's what I thought," Callie said with a breathless laugh, one leg curling over Arizona's calf. "So shouldn't I have left my top on so you could practice working around that?" she asked teasingly, words separated by gasps and grunts as Arizona picked up her pace, spurred along by Callie's knee against the back of her thigh.

Blonde hair fell in both of their faces as Arizona shook her head. "Nope," she answered, taking a quick, hard kiss. She was really pounding into her now and it was all they could manage. "We're alone and I want to see your _fantastic_ boobs moving while I'm fucking you," she said, knowing the dirty talk would only get Callie hotter.

Sure enough, the next roll of a thumb against her clit sent her over the edge with a gasping groan, Arizona driving into her without relenting. "Oh, oh, oh, _oh God, _right_ there_," Callie pleaded, the blonde hitting the perfect spot inside her, her center milking Arizona's fingers as she came.

Coming down gradually, Arizona coaxed her back to reality with soft kisses scattered across her face and the top of her chest. Callie groaned when Arizona pulled out, the blonde laying on her side beside her and sucking the wetness off of her own fingers with a smug, completely hot, smile of satisfaction on her face. "That was pretty good practice, I think," she declared breathlessly, clearly pleased with herself.

Callie rolled to collapse flat on her front on the bed, still breathing hard. She groaned in protest when Arizona sat up, somehow still full of energy. "Where you going?"

"Wine," Arizona said simply, finding the wine bottle on the end of their bed and miraculously not kicked to the floor. She took a swallow straight from the bottle and eyed Callie's back, the smooth expanse of olive skin calling to her. The Latina jumped when cool wine splashed between her shoulder blades, running straight down her spine toward her butt. "That was the vacation practice sex, Calliope," Arizona answered her before she could ask what she was doing. "This is the I rocked my surgery and I'm hot as hell for you sex."

Callie couldn't help smiling against the sheet as Arizona's hot tongue followed the wine down her back and wet lips sucked the liquid from her skin. Damn if life wasn't good…

* * *

><p>Boom! Last chapter! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Thanks for sticking it out with me! (Who thinks Callie's tempting fate with that last thought?)<p>

Tune in at the same Bat-time, same Bat-station (this story, after the weekend) for the thrilling (or whatever) first chapter of the sequel!


	20. Interlude:Holiday in Spain

The smooth, soft sand was scorching hot under Arizona's feet until they reached the shadow cast by their umbrella. It was impossible to tell if her girlfriend was awake behind her dark sunglasses, her book upside down and open on her chest as she lounged in her chair. The smirk as she flopped down onto the towel beside her kind of gave her away though. "You're not sleeping?"

"And miss that?" Callie countered, her voice warm and drowsy. She let her head roll to the side, watching drops of water trace invisible paths down smooth, creamy skin. It made her throat go dry and one hand found the stem of her glass, relieved that it was still icy, if a little slushy. Arizona stretched out on her back beside her, crossing her arms behind her head and unintentionally lifting and offering her bikini covered breasts up for closer inspection. Callie choked on her drink at the sight, prompting a smirk from her girlfriend.

"You okay? Sangria go down the wrong pipe?" asked Arizona smugly, knowing exactly what had occurred.

Trying to cover, Callie scoffed. "Oh, please, you think you're _so_ hot!"

"I _know_ I'm so hot, Calliope," countered the blonde with a laugh. Callie just took the final sip of her drink, unable to argue. She wasn't the only one who'd appreciated Arizona's stroll up from the water. "Would you like another?" Arizona sweetly offered, giving her a dimpled smile from her prone position beside Callie's chair. Her own drink was only watery pink remnants at the bottom of her glass. "I'll go," she said, pushing herself back up and sliding a light wrap around her slim waist. Before she left the shade, she leaned over to kiss full lips swiftly. "Be right back."

Callie let her head turn the other direction to track her walking away up the beach toward the small bar just over the dunes. The blonde was definitely moving her hips like that on purpose, she decided. And again, she wasn't the only one who noticed. One man even stopped her to speak, missing his Frisbee so that it hit the sand right near the passing woman's path. Arizona just handed the plastic disc to him with a laugh and politely waved him off.

Happening to glance over a few minutes later, Callie caught their next interaction, the overly helpful and persistent man making another attempt at first contact with her beautiful girlfriend. Again, Arizona just shook her head, smiling politely and gesturing up the beach in Callie's direction. The lounging Latina waved, adding a smile for emphasis when he eyed her. Arizona edged around him, both of their drinks laced between her fingers by the stems. The tall, tan man was left watching her walk away with a stunned look on his face.

"I got you another sangria," the blonde announced when she got closer. "I hope that's okay."

Callie took it from her with a smirking smile, Arizona stepping over her legs to get back to her own spot on the towel. "Thank you," she hummed, taking a sip. "Your new friend didn't want to join us?"

Blue eyes rolled in her direction. "He probably does, actually, but I don't share," declared Arizona, voice sharp. One hand rested lightly on Callie's leg, her fingers cold from the icy drinks.

The contact made her jump, her stomach clenching at the look in her lover's eyes. "That's not what you tell the kids in Peds, is it? Not to share?" Completely beyond her control, her voice was low and husky.

"You are not a toy, Calliope. You're my girlfriend," countered Arizona simply. "And you're sexy. Every person on this beach has noticed you," she noted, grinning. "Even with the sitting around reading and dark glasses vibe you're giving off."

Callie bit her lip as she chuckled. She'd gone into the water earlier with Arizona, swam around in the surf with her and made dribble castles in the sand. But she had only finished half of her book on the plane and watching Arizona was a treat in itself. "We're on vacation, sweetness. Is there something else I should be doing?"

"We can always have more sex," Arizona suggested without a thought, taking another icy mouthful of her drink and resuming her laid back position on the towel, pulling her own sunglasses down out of her hair and into position over her eyes. They'd been in Spain for two days already and she'd lost count of the sexual encounters sometime yesterday, but for her vote, she could never have too much of the woman beside her.

Arizona was grateful for the shadowed glasses when Callie rolled off of her chair suddenly, leaving her book abandoned in the sand as she stretched herself out over her own prone body, Callie's weight braced on elbows and knees so that they weren't actually touching. "That's not a bad idea," Callie mused, grinning when the blonde's breathing went shaky. Dipping her head, she sucked on an extended neck, tasting the remnants of salt on her girlfriend's skin.

Blue eyes slid closed as she felt a hand sliding across the peak of her breast and down her side only to separate from her skin suddenly, snapping her eyes back open to find Callie grinning above her. "Hey, I was enjoying that! Why'd you stop?"

"I think I'll go for a swim," declared the brunette, unconsciously licking her lips as she drank in the sight of Arizona flushed and breathing hard below her. "Since I'm being such a bore."

Then she was gone and Arizona was left leaning up on her elbows to watch the glorious ass swing from side to side as Callie walked toward the water. A glance over a tanned shoulder was enough to get her moving, pushing herself to her feet and stumbling after her. She didn't even care that she probably looked idiotic, feet flipping sand into the air behind her as she scrambled to catch up.

Callie shrieked with laughter as Arizona caught her waist, her momentum pitching them both into the water. Spluttering as she surfaced, the blonde was rendered speechless again by the sight of Callie surfacing from the ocean, hair slick and skin gleaming in the sun. It was like she was glowing. Arizona wondered momentarily if she was the only one who could see it or if Callie glowed to everyone's eyes.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Callie challenged, one arm swatting at the water and splashing her girlfriend playfully.

Blinking it out of her eyes and laughing, Arizona retaliated expertly. Growing up with a brother, she'd acquired certain talents, including an aptitude for water fights. Of course, since she'd grown up the skills had mostly gone unused, but they weren't gone, just dormant.

However, Callie had advantages that Timothy had not. Arizona didn't actually want to hurt her girlfriend like she'd sometimes wanted to injure her sibling (the way all competitive siblings sometimes do), and when Callie managed to get her hands on her and dunk her, she was held against soft warm curves instead of her brother's thin, bony tallness (at least at the time of their last water fight - he'd since filled out to lanky, muscled tallness).

They were both laughing when a silent truce was called, each of them dripping and breathless. And Callie was still glowing in the sunlight, Arizona discovered, pushing clinging wet strands back from her face. Callie Torres was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, no matter the setting.

She didn't realize that she'd vocalized that sentiment until Callie flushed, ducking her head almost shyly. "Someone's a sweet talker today. Hoping to get lucky?" she asked, smirk on her lips as she met blue eyes that were blazing with heat.

"Pretty much planning on it," Arizona answered, only having to kick her feet lightly to tread water.

One eyebrow rose. "Oh yeah? Isn't that a little presumptuous, Arizona?"

The blonde laughed happily, the sound making Callie's heart sing. "No, I think I can plan on getting sex from my girlfriend on our vacation in Spain."

Giving up the transparent ruse that she could possibly hold out on Arizona under those circumstances, Callie reached forward to drag her through the water, their bodies colliding firmly as a wave aided Callie's pull and crashed them together. Instead of speaking, Callie kissed her, licking her lips as she pulled back. "You know, I love the beach and everything, but it's making you all salty when I kiss you…"

Arizona just looped both arms over her shoulders to keep them close, the waves making them shift and drift. "You're all salty too. It's making me thirsty."

Callie's smile was amused. "We've got drinks back at the chairs," she reminded her.

"We've got a shower in the room," countered Arizona without hesitation. "We can get all not-salty, and we'd be naked…"

"And we could have sex?" Callie finished knowingly.

"Well, yeah!" Arizona's dimples popped when she grinned widely, clearly pleased with her plan. "We haven't had sex in the shower since…"

"Yesterday?" Callie did it again, chucking. It was undeniably appealing, though. Arizona all slick and soapy was completely different than Arizona wet from the ocean. And in the shower she didn't have to share the view with anyone else.

"We'll need to get dressed for dinner soon anyway," bargained the blonde, looping one leg around the back of Callie's thigh. She could see the acquiescence coming and grinned, still riding the competitive high. "Race you to the towel?"

She realized her oversight when she easily won the race across the beach and turned to watch Callie saunter toward her. Of course, she'd done the same thing earlier, but she was pretty damn sure she hadn't made an impression like the one Callie was leaving on the minds of everyone on the beach. Arizona was suddenly desperately thirsty and it wasn't because of the ocean water.

Callie just grinned as she reached their spot, Arizona too busy staring to have started packing anything up. "I think you won," she teased.

Arizona's voice was hoarse. "No, Calliope, I think you won. I think you win everything, the rest of us are just grateful spectators," she declared.

That single eyebrow rose, the Latina wearing an entirely gorgeous smirk. "I win? Do I get a prize?"

"Anything you want," promised Arizona, an answering smirk on her own lips.

"I pick you," Callie said without even teasing hesitation, hand on the back of her neck hauling Arizona into a kiss. Tongues were in play immediately, the blonde moaning when her fingers slid across warm flesh at Callie's sides. It was suddenly very hard to remember that they were in a very public place when she just wanted more of that skin bare and under her hands.

Sand dragged between her fingertips and the smooth skin and she was suddenly burning for the slickness of warm water and soapy curves. Beaches were awesome, and Spain was gorgeous, but at that moment she just wanted their suite, specifically the expansive shower. Tearing her mouth away, Arizona panted, "We need to get inside _now_."

"Whatever you say," agreed Callie, dragging her back into another kiss.

Arizona had to force herself to withdraw, swatting Callie's ass firmly as she stumbled out of reach. "Grabby hands, get your stuff!" she ordered, tripping over the chair and grabbing the umbrella to keep from tumbling to the sand. Tripping and falling wasn't sexy.

"I'd rather grab you," Callie countered, smirking wickedly.

Arizona's eyes were wide and she forced herself to swallow. Calliope Torres was unbelievable. And all hers, which still struck her as unbelievable sometimes too. "You just get the bag and the towel, I'll get the chair," she issued directions, her voice sharp and short with need. There was would be time to flirt when they were both naked and slick. "Move!" she barked when Callie just grinned at her.

"Have I ever told you how hot I find you being all bossy?" asked the Latina even as she leaned over to gather their things. That, combined with the cleavage, made Arizona's eyes roll back in her head before she remembered that the best was yet to come and only waiting on her.

They returned their glasses to the beachfront bar, their lounge chairs to the hotel concierge, and rode a regrettably crowded elevator up to their floor, exchanging flirty, teasing glances. Callie was biting her lip just to make her insane Arizona was sure, licking her own lips unconsciously, entirely unable to tear her eyes off of white teeth on that full, pink bottom lip.

Callie was incredibly calm and demure looking as they left the elevator, their bag tucked over her shoulder. Arizona wasn't as in control of herself, her hand on Callie's back to usher her along, unconsciously moving her faster. "Do you have the key, or do I have the key?" she asked thoughtlessly, not thinking about her own lack of clothing that would limit places she could keep the keycard for their room.

Pulling it out of their bag, Callie smirked sideways. The expression slipped when she felt fingers on her back, sliding up to work on the back of her bikini top. "Arizona…" she started, note of warning in her tone.

"Hurry up," the blonde countered simply, stepping behind her to kiss the back of her neck.

The door opened after a hard push, Callie dropping the bag and spinning to yank Arizona into the room behind her. "Get in here," she growled against her lips, feeling Arizona's warm, eager laugh in their kiss. Thankfully the hotel room's door was swinging closed on its own, both of them already stumbling across the huge suite in the direction of the bedroom without breaking their kiss.

Bits of clothing were left in their wake, flip flops kicked away, wraps tugged off and dropped to the floor, halves of bikinis tossed aside so hands could get to more skin. Callie blindly sought the knob for the water, laughing giddily as they stumbled into the truly impressively large shower. The first blast of cold water made them both jump, Arizona squealing as Callie scrambled for the other knob.

Then the temperature didn't matter because Arizona was pushing her into the wall and had both hands in her hair while the entire length of their bodies pressed against each other. "You're still salty," the blonde teased, nipping her lip the way she'd wanted to do in the elevator.

Callie just slipped a hand straight down between her girlfriend's legs, surprised in spite of herself by the wetness she found waiting for her. "Then you have a decision to make," she ground out, fingers finding the blonde's clit and rolling across the sensitive bud to make her hips jump out of control. "Do you want me to stop," Arizona whined in protest, "and we can get cleaned off," Callie abruptly rolled them along the wall, pinning her lover to the cool tile with her body, "or you can deal with a little salt while I get you off."

"That," Arizona gasped, not needing to consider her options. Whatever went up against Callie getting her off was going to lose spectacularly. "Do that!" Without preamble Callie's fingers were inside her, but they stilled immediately, prompting another whine of protest from Arizona. "God, Callie, please," she pleaded, not above some desperation.

Kissing her, the brunette didn't pull out, just curled her fingers slightly and made her partner twitch, blonde head falling onto her shoulder where Arizona gasped and moaned and whispered her pleas of _deeper, faster, harder, __**more**__._ Callie just breathed soothingly over her ear, hand that wasn't making magic between her legs trailing lightly through her hair and down the back of her bowed neck. "I'm in love with you," she whispered, drawing a deep, throaty moan from her lover.

"Calliope…" The breathless sigh of her name earned her the return of the Latina's thumb to her clit and Arizona could have melted. It didn't matter how she touched her, she was a puppet under Callie's hands. Sucking on the neck her face was buried in got her a moan in response and she smiled when Callie twitched as she dragged her tongue up toward her jaw and then back down to where neck met shoulder to mouth the flesh there.

The water had warmed up nicely but Arizona's tongue on her skin felt like fire, scorching her. It made it impossible to keep her slow pace, needing to be closer in any way she could get. Her hand dropped from Arizona's head to her thigh, hauling her leg up around her hip, the blonde curling her knee obligingly to lock herself into place wrapped around her.

Arizona was surprised but not displeased when the other leg was coaxed up in the same way, her body entirely opened to Callie and dependent on her to keep them upright. Crashing and burning during shower sex was not a story either one of them wanted to relate to an EMT. But she trusted Callie wouldn't drop her. And the depth her rapidly increasing thrusts and plunges could reach with both legs spread around her was fucking _unbelievable_. It was all she could do to hold on and keep breathing. And even that got harder when Callie kissed her, the Latina's hips bucking to back her thrusts.

The kiss was hard and sloppy, full of teeth and tongue and lips, but it was exactly what Arizona needed to fly over the edge into oblivion. She bit Callie's lip as she came, her body tightening around her to keep her there with her. Callie rubbed her gently to bring her back down, not pulling out until the blonde was limp against her.

Smiling against her hair, Callie struggled to catch her own breath. "Are you going to be able to stand if I put you down?" Arizona just groaned a negative, not bothering to lift her head from its resting place on Callie's shoulder. "Okay," Callie whispered. She couldn't do it all night, but for now she was in no danger of dropping her. Still feeling her heart rate slowing, she didn't speak, just trailed fingers through blonde hair that was softening as the stiff salt washed out under the shower spray. She loved Arizona's hair. It was soft and bouncy and smelled good. And when she straightened it, it was an entirely different kind of sexy.

Arizona finally tapped at her shoulder as the feeling gradually returned to her legs and Callie held her hips while she unfolded her legs from around her waist and found her balance, both hands hanging onto Callie's shoulders. "I feel like I should say thank you," the blonde teased, standing on her toes to kiss her softly.

"Believe me, it's my pleasure," Callie replied easily, hands holding her face on either side so she could angle in and kiss her again, slow and soft and sweet. She hadn't noticed when it had happened exactly, but the salty taste from the ocean was all gone. It was just Arizona and she loved it. "I've got something I want to do…"

"Anything you want," promised Arizona without a pause. She trusted Callie. Anything she wanted from her was hers for the taking.

"Can I wash your hair?"

It wasn't a request she'd been expecting but it was somehow perfect and she smiled happily and turned her back. Callie's fingers felt as incredible on her scalp as they did anywhere else on her body and Arizona couldn't hold back a moan of pleasure. She adored having her hair played with. And Callie's strong fingers could play her body like an instrument. She let herself float along through the sensations her lover was causing, moving where and when Callie coaxed her, turning and leaning back into the rinsing water and feeling the slick soap sliding down her back.

"You said you love me…"

Callie's touch paused at the non sequitur, a confused frown furrowing her brow. "Yeah, I did. I say that every day, don't I?"

"You said you are in love with me," Arizona clarified, not sure herself what she was trying to say. She knew Callie loved her. She showed her every day in a hundred different ways.

Callie took a moment to consider her response. "I am in love with you," she said finally, shifting wet hair out of her way and pressing her lips to a smooth shoulder. There was a cut on the inside of her lip where Arizona had bitten her but she just ran her tongue across the seam and waited for a response from her lover.

"I'm in love with you too," Arizona breathed, leaning back into her and drawing Callie's arms around her waist to hold her. The raining shower gave the steamy glass cubicle an ambient hum from the hundreds of falling drops. "Like, the big one," Callie smiled against her skin, knowing exactly what she meant. She had wanted the big one long enough that she had tried to force things with George by rushing into an idiotic marriage. But she knew beyond any doubt that she'd finally found what she was looking for. She had the love of her life safely wrapped up in her arms, "You know? Like, I can see us together when we're fifty and sixty and seventy and eighty and ninety and a hundred. And I want it. I want us to share a life, Calliope. There's not a day that I don't want to share with you."

"I want that too," Callie declared, her voice low and soft.

"And people say 'I love you' all the time, you know?" Arizona continued, caught up in making herself perfectly clear. She knew Callie was on the same page with her, but she still wanted to say it. "And I do love you, more than anything, but I need you to know that I'm completely _in _love with you too."

Callie nuzzled easily into her neck, kissing her skin lightly and licking the water away from her pulse. "I know you are," she promised. "I'm in love with you too, Arizona."

* * *

><p>Note: Technically, this isn't the first chapter of the sequel, but it takes place in between part one and part two. I meant to get this done for y'all yesterday, but bowling with my friends took precedence over sitting in front of a computer, sorry... I hope you enjoy it! It hasn't been edited as severely as normal, so let me know if you spot any typoserrors/etc...


	21. Chapter 17

Arizona Robbins knew before she opened her eyes that she was naked. And possibly on a floor if the feel of the carpet on her back was any indication. Groaning, she pushed herself up on both hands to find the curve of a delicious ass right on the edge of the bed and at her eyelevel. Memories came back in a hurry. They'd been drinking but she hadn't drank enough to forget any detail of the night before. And for her money, any night that ended with Calliope Torres sprawled naked in her bed was a night she didn't want to forget.

The brunette in the bed shifted as she touched her leg, unable to resist the sight of so much skin. The corner of the sheet was covering one leg, but only just, and she couldn't keep her hands off the tanned flesh, a shade darker now after nearly a week in the sun. A soft sigh and she saw the chocolate brown eyes that she lived for. "Good morning," Callie said, though her voice was practically a moan. The gaze focused as she realized that Arizona was on the floor instead of in the bed with her. "How come you're on the floor?"

"I do not know." Arizona kept one hand stroking the back of Callie's thigh, the touch tickling and light. "The view's pretty good from down here though, so I find myself not hating it," she said, her other hand tousling her hair as she stretched.

Callie shifted her face to the edge of the bed, curling one arm under her head. "My view's pretty good too," she agreed. "You're gorgeous, you know that?"

Dimples popped as the blonde smiled, faking consideration. "It seems like I remember _somebody_ telling me something like that last night."

Callie abruptly turned onto her back, withdrawing from Arizona's hand. "As good as you look on the floor, you look better in bed. Come up here."

"Hey, you're probably the one who knocked me down here," Arizona protested even as she slid back into the bed, Callie cuddling close immediately.

"Yeah, okay, I'm sorry," the Latina sighed. "I was right though. This is _much_ better." The peace lasted about half a minute before the quiet was broken by the ring of Arizona's phone. Grumbling, Callie rolled back toward the far side of the bed, finding Arizona's purse thankfully within reach among their scattered clothing. Glancing at the display, she answered it, "Hello Colonel. One second, Arizona's right here."

"Callie…" His voice was serious and she frowned in reaction.

"Calliope?" Arizona just sounded confused.

"Colonel?"

He cleared his throat and she could almost _hear_ the emotion he was trying to restrain. Her heart suddenly started to pound. "Could you please put the phone on speaker, Callie?" he requested hoarsely.

Giving Arizona a look, Callie did as he asked, thumbing the speakerphone button and handing it over to her girlfriend while she leaned over the edge of the bed again and found both of their shirts. Something told her they wouldn't want to be naked for this.

"Dad?" Arizona was already hesitant, putting the phone on the pillow while she followed Callie's lead and tugged her shirt over her head and straightened the narrow straps across her shoulders, pulling on it harder than she really needed to. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want you to worry, but it's your brother." Arizona's eyes went wide and she sucked in a sharp breath. "Arizona, he's alive."

Callie felt a pang of sympathy and relief, but wasn't sure why she was being included on this call. Clearly this was a private family matter. Watching her girlfriend's face, she could almost feel her heart break - the pain in her eyes… Without speaking, she shifted to sit behind Arizona, gentle hands coaxing her slowly to lean back against her.

"Tim's alive?" Arizona asked, voice hoarse and disbelieving. She picked up the phone but it was shaky in her hand.

"He's alive, but it's not good." Unconsciously, Callie curled an arm around her partner's waist, feeling Arizona's free hand cover her wrist and squeeze tight. "His convoy hit a IED, half of his unit was killed outright. Timothy was injured but he's stable." He paused, Callie tightening her hold on her girlfriend. "They're sending him home. They patched him up, but he's going to need more surgery."

Starting to see why the Robbins weren't having this conversation without her, Callie took a deep breath and held it. "His legs? Arms?"

"Legs," the Colonel answered, anxiety cracking through his severe control.

"Can he get to Seattle or should I come to him?" Callie asked, feeling Arizona's body tremble in her arms.

"He'll be in Seattle by Thursday morning."

She could feel Arizona nod against her neck, already tensing to move. "I'll clear my schedule," she promised. "Could you get the medical files sent to Seattle Grace? Any MRIs, x-rays, anything like that."

"They'll be there in the morning. Thank you, Callie." His control was slipping again and her name was hoarse.

"No need to thank me, sir." She didn't know Arizona's brother well, just their brief meeting over the webcam and what she'd heard from her girlfriend, but he was Arizona's brother and that's all she needed to know. Whatever she could do for him, she would do it. Arizona was her family.

The Colonel cleared his throat gruffly. "See you on Thursday, then." He hung up the phone without anything further.

Arizona pushed Callie's arm off her waist, gathering her discarded clothes and going straight into the bathroom. So much for their vacation, Callie reflected, looking out their wide patio doors at the view of the Spanish coast afforded by their suite. She stood up with a sigh, gathering her own clothes and packing up what she could while she waited on hold with the airline. They were supposed to be going home tomorrow but she had a funny feeling that Arizona wouldn't be satisfied waiting that long.

When she joined Arizona in the shower it was all business, switching off under the water and swapping the shampoo and the soap with none of their usual touching. Arizona slipped out first, retreating to the bedroom to get dressed. She still hadn't spoken since the phone call with her father.

"We've got a flight in four hours," Callie told her as she joined her in the bedroom, pulling her own clothes on and sitting on the bed to tie her sneakers.

The bed bounced as Arizona crawled across it to wrap both arms around her, her chin resting on her shoulder. "Thank you, Calliope."

Callie leaned forward, Arizona moving with her and keeping herself pressed against her back. "Arizona, of course. I'll do anything I can, you know that."

"I know that," Arizona confirmed. She turned her head into a warm, tanned neck. "But you're giving up your vacation…"

A hand on her mouth stopped her words. "Stop it," Callie ordered sternly. "I love you. If you need me, I'm going to be there."

Nodding behind her lover's hand, Arizona hugged her tighter. "I need you," she confirmed softly. And now Tim needed her Calliope too. She buried her face in her girlfriend's neck, breath shuddering. "And I love you so much."

Callie reached behind her, fingers finding damp blonde hair. Arizona hadn't bothered with drying it so she knew it would be curly by the time they had to leave for the airport. "I know there's no point in saying 'don't worry yet' because you're going to worry, but please don't think you need to hide it from me. If you're upset, you can be upset with me."

Considering the offer for only a second, Arizona shook her head. She appreciated Callie's support, but she was who her father had raised. There was no breaking down in her immediate future. "Not that I'm not grateful, because I am, but I-I I just can't. Not now, not yet." Callie rubbed her arms soothingly. "Thank you."

The Latina tightened her grip in blonde hair. "You don't need to say that to me, either," she said. "Not for this. Not for anything." She pulled her forward gently, over her shoulder slightly to kiss her, just a soft, gentle meeting of their lips. "Can you eat?"

Arizona shook her head again. "No, but I'll take you out before we go to the airport."

"Sweetheart…"

"I'll eat, I'm just not hungry right now," Arizona insisted lightly. If she was braver, she would have insisted that she could take care of herself, but the truth was, she didn't think she could do it without Callie. Or at the very least, she didn't _want_ to do it without Callie. She offered another kiss reassuringly. "I'm okay, Calliope. Let's just get you something to eat and get home."

Sighing, Callie relented. "Okay."

The flight over the ocean felt like it would never end, Arizona's worry for her brother only making her natural anxiety about flying worse. It was all Callie could do to keep her in her seat, restrained from pacing the length of the airplane for the entire flight. They had a short layover in Miami and the blonde was free to roam the airport, Callie silently praying the she would work out some of her energy before they had to board their final flight back to Washington.

She'd just hung up the phone with Teddy, arranging for the heart surgeon to pick them up from Sea-Tac a day early, when she heard her name. And not her more common name but the name that only Arizona called her. Arizona and one other person, actually.

"Calliope…?"

Turning with a sigh, Callie felt her spine go rigid. He looked the same as always, white hair going bald on top, ice blue eyes framed by the same small lines she remembered, short beard neat and clean. It was hard to believe that they hadn't seen each other in years. "Dad…"

"You're in Miami - you're home…"

She shook her head, sliding her phone back into her pocket. She'd been planning on calling the Chief while Arizona was roaming the airport but that obviously wasn't going to happen. "We're on a layover," she corrected him.

"We? You and George?" He looked almost hopeful and she wondered if the news that she was divorced would be better or worse for him than the fact that she was with a woman. And not just any woman, but the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with… Her father had never liked that she had married George, but she was fairly certain that the fact that he was a male would put her ex-husband miles ahead of Arizona in her father's esteem.

"No. We're divorced." Sure enough, his face went stony in an instant, his grip tightening on his briefcase. He knew about George's infidelity, the entire Torres family knew about it, but he clearly viewed it as a lesser sin than divorce.

"And are you seeing someone?" His challenge was clear, practically daring her to speak up.

Callie didn't disappoint (herself, at least). "Yes. Her name's Arizona Robbins. She's an attending pediatric surgeon at the same hospital where I work. She's the top of her field, brilliant, funny, happy, beautiful."

"Calliope…"

"No, you don't speak to me for three years, you cut me off from my family, I don't want to hear a word about who I love!"

Shaking his head, the older man sighed. "Is there a topic we _can_ talk about? It has been three years, Calliope."

"How're Mom and Aria?" Callie asked flatly. Her father had always called her by her full name. She'd always hated it growing up. Now Arizona was the one who used that name and she found that her dislike for her name was all in who was saying it.

"They're good. Your mother has just started a new charity for illiteracy." Of course. Her mother could be counted on to be charitable to anyone but her own daughter. "And your sister has gone back to school." For what had to be the fifth or sixth time, all of her various attempts at a degree incomplete. "Calliope, they - we miss you, mija."

Callie sighed, steeling herself. If she was honest, she missed them too. But she was not the one who'd broken contact. And after her father's command that she leave home and not come back until she'd repented she'd tried to reach her mother, her sister, to no avail. They'd cut her off as fully as her father had. "I can't deal with this right now. We're on our way home and we've got too much to deal with, I can't do this." She spotted her girlfriend's blonde curls moving through the crowd behind her father and she took a quick step forward, voice lowering. "Arizona is coming so if you can't be so, _so _nice, you need to walk away right now," she ordered.

He stared at her for a long moment, eyes searching her face. She didn't waver. Her father, their issues, would be stressful on even the best day and today was not the day to subject Arizona to that. She could insist she was okay, but Callie was determined not to do anything that would push her stress level any higher.

"You look well, Calliope," he said simply in goodbye, walking backwards for two steps before he turned and blended away into the crowd of suits.

Arizona had her hands full when she appeared at Callie's side a few moments later, a takeout bag in her grip. "I know you're still…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the Latina's clenched jaw, the tightness around her eyes. "What's wrong? What happened?" She balanced the tray of drinks on her arm to free up a hand to dig for her phone. "Did my dad call?" She thought she'd been controlling herself better, but the look on Callie's face was all it took to send her heart rate racing.

Callie took the drinks from her quickly before they spilled, catching her hands. "No, sweetie, no. It's nothing about your brother, I swear."

Arizona frowned, looking around the crowded airport. "Then what is it?"

"Don't worry about it," Callie assured her, pulling her to the row of chairs and trying to shake off the disconcerted feeling her father had left behind. "What did you get us?"

"Don't give me that," Arizona cut her off. "You're all tense now. What happened?" Callie's mouth opened to deny it, but the blonde shook her head. "No, if I'm talking, you're talking," she declared.

Callie's mouth curled in a small grin. "But, baby, you're not talking."

Blue eyes rolled in reply. "Because I don't have anything to talk about yet. You obviously do. So talk to me." She shifted in her chair, angling her body toward Callie's. "Please?"

Callie considered her for a long moment, gaze searching her face. "It's really not a big deal, okay? But my father was just here."

Arizona blinked, not expecting that answer. "Whoa." She looked around as though he might still be around. "Are you okay?" Callie nodded simply, poking a straw into one of the drinks and taking a sip, endeavoring to regain some equilibrium. "How long has it been since you've see each other?"

Shrugging, Callie started unpacking the bag. "Oh, good choice, babe. Thank you." This was not something she wanted to dump on Arizona when she was already dealing with so much. Her relationship with her family had been rocky for years and it wasn't something she expected to change anytime soon. Talking about it would only stress her out and she needed to be calm, focus on doing what she could for Arizona.

"Calliope…"

"It's been a few years, Arizona." Callie looked up from the bag of food. "Which is why it's really not a big deal." She bumped her girlfriend with an elbow. "Let's eat." She was almost pleading and Arizona still looked doubtful but relented, taking her own dinner from the bag. "It wasn't that I didn't want him to meet you," Callie said without prompting. "It's just already been a long day and he's not the most…sympathetic person in the world and…"

"If you think I can't deal with…"

"It's not you, Arizona," Callie interjected earnestly. "_I _can't deal with him right now. I asked him to leave." She leaned over, elbows on her knees. Arizona rubbed her back soothingly. "I didn't want him to upset you, but I didn't want to deal with him today either, okay?" she admitted. She mustered a weak smile, looking sideways up at her. "Can we just agree to talk later?"

Arizona smiled almost sadly, nodding and leaning over to rest her head against the back of Callie's shoulder. "Yeah."

They ate quietly, though the silence grew more comfortable gradually. By the time their flight to Seattle was boarding, things felt normal, if a little stressed, between them. It wasn't stress with each other though, but with the situation. Slipping her hand into Arizona's as the plane started to lift off, Callie took a breath as Arizona squeezed down on her fingers.


	22. Chapter 18

Having just returned from vacation meant that her schedule was already light and the situation with Arizona's brother meant that the Chief didn't put up a fight when Callie immediately canceled the few surgeries on her calendar to consult on Timothy's case. They had a day between their early return to Seattle and the Robbins' predicted arrival on Thursday morning, and Callie spent the time poring over every page of the scans the military doctors had sent, trying to come up with a plan.

The explosion had shattered both of Tim's legs, the right worse than the left. The repairs they'd done in the field had been rudimentary, done solely to keep him alive. The way things stood now, looking at the x-rays, he couldn't stand, definitely couldn't walk, and was certainly in constant, steady pain. Now it would be her job to end the pain at the very least, get him walking again if she could. It would be painful, excruciating even, before the end, but she was confident in her own abilities. Though, part of her couldn't help worrying that her confidence was an overreaching effect of not wanting to have to tell Arizona, Timothy, Barbara, or the Colonel that she'd failed.

She had been essentially locked in the lounge since their homecoming, staring and stewing over the charts and x-rays. A cup of coffee in a colorful mug interrupted her latest trance-like consideration, drawing her gaze up to blue eyes she loved. Arizona looked tired though, her eyes shadowed. Of course, that was to be expected with all the sleep she _hadn't_ been getting. "Hey, you."

"Hey." Arizona trailed a hand across the back of Callie's shoulders as she moved behind her chair. "I haven't seen you since we got here. Stark has been a total ass the whole time we were gone, according to Karev. He's glad we're back. Bummed that I'll be out of surgery for a few more days, though." There was no response but a heavy sigh. "Can you talk me through it?" She gestured toward the table and leaned over to rest her chin on Callie's shoulder so she could see and listen.

Callie spoke slowly, outlining her tentative plan, the various scenarios that she might find once Tim was actually there and she could get new scans and inspect the injuries for herself. While she spoke, her voice was quiet, tired, and flat. She could only blink in surprise when Arizona suddenly rounded her chair to plop down in her lap. "What are you doing?" Even if her voice didn't change, a hint of a smile teased the corner of her mouth.

"Sitting on my girlfriend," Arizona answered promptly. "Calliope, you're obviously not saying something. Talk to me," she requested. The Ortho surgeon didn't speak and Arizona deliberately pushed her girlfriend's chin up with one hand, holding her face still so that their eyes locked. "Whatever you say, I'm going to love you."

Callie forced a deep breath and she tried to shake her head through Arizona's grip on her chin. "It's your brother… And we've only met once, but you're so important to me and I know how important he is to you, Arizona." The blonde nodded, looking down at her steadily. "What if I can't do it? What if I can't help him? Or what if I try and fail?" Blue eyes narrowed and Callie sucked in a trembling breath. "What if I push too hard and make it worse because I can't stand the thought of letting you down?"

The real issue was laid out plainly and Arizona let a sympathetic whimper escape her. She'd been focused on her brother, on his pain, she hadn't even considered Callie's side of the issue. "I have faith in you, Calliope," Arizona whispered. "So does Tim. He's not coming to you because you're my girlfriend. He's coming to you because you're the best." She shook her head in almost disbelief. How was Callie worrying about this? She had to know how awesome she was. A tired smile spread slowly across her expression. "Take me out of it if that makes it easier," she suggested. "Timothy Robbins is a patient."

"And you're his family member?" Callie questioned, arching an eyebrow at her. "Arizona…"

"I'm his family member," she agreed quickly. "Exactly. We're any other family who wants the best, most clever and creative Ortho specialist in the country to help us."

The brunette sighed heavily, clearly doubtful. Arizona had been stressed out, not at Callie, but just in general, since they'd gotten the call from her father. She was doing her best to keep it under control, be her normal self, but the efforts were wasted on Callie, her girlfriend able to see through the ruse. She didn't push it though, trusting that Arizona would let her in when she needed her. "But then your family comes home to the house where I happen to live too," she reminded her partner. If she failed them, how could Arizona expect her to look her parents in the eye again? How could she look Arizona in the eyes again if she was the one who had to tell them that Tim wouldn't walk again, would lose his legs?

Arizona blinked, kissing her softly instead of answering vocally. It took Callie a second to loosen up enough to respond, sucking lightly on her lover's lower lip. How could she lose this? The connection between them had been instantaneous and electric. And even better, it was simple. She was made for Arizona Robbins. Everyone, everything leading up to her - her parents' abandonment, George's infidelity, her move to Seattle - it was all just so much preparation, showing her what didn't work so when she found the one who did, she knew it.

And she knew it more clearly than she knew her own name. She was meant to love Arizona Robbins for the rest of her life.

A hand on her jaw, the familiar touch that Arizona couldn't seem to help giving her when they kissed, drew her back to the present and she let her lover pull back from the kiss gently, both of them breathing in slow, deep breaths.

"You're borrowing trouble," Arizona whispered, leaning her forehead against Callie's and keeping their eyes locked. She knew all about borrowing trouble - she was doing more than enough for the both of them. She couldn't sleep for all the troubling possibilities that kept her mind busy. "And I'll talk to my parents, but I'm a doctor too, Calliope. I know the realities here. You're a complete rockstar, but even you can't work miracles." Callie swallowed hard, choking down her emotions. Oh how she wished she could give Tim a miracle. "But you are the best shot that he has."

"Maybe I should stay at Teddy's while he's here," said Callie, voice still heavy.

Arizona went stiff again, blinking in surprise. "That's not what I want, but if that's what you need, baby, if you can't be with me…"

"Arizona, don't be stupid."

"Hey, you, sweetheart, are the one who said you didn't want to stay at home. I want you to stay." Her fingers moved gently across Callie's cheek. She steeled herself, taking a deep breath and holding it. Even with Calliope, her first instinct wasn't to share. But thinking about being honest with Callie didn't fill her with tension or anxiety. Instead, she thought that sharing her fear with Callie might make her feel better. Because she _was_ scared. She didn't want her brother to suffer. But Callie could do this. She was Tim's best chance at getting his life back. "This is going to be hard, Calliope. I know that. Hard for all of us." She let out her deep breath. "I think I'm going to need you as much as Tim is. If that's okay."

Leaning into the hand on her face, Callie closed her eyes. Making things harder wasn't her intention. She just wasn't sure she could face Arizona if something went wrong.

"Stop it." Arizona's gentle whisper cut through her thoughts. "You are amazing. But _if_ something happens," Callie didn't open her eyes but her brows furrowed, "it's not your fault. And I know that. You're not the one who hurt him, Calliope. You're trying to help him. My parents understand that. _I _get that. Please come home at night after consults and surgeries. Don't sleep here, okay? I need you to come home and hold me." Brown eyes opened slowly to find blues searching her face. "And I think you're going to need me too." Callie chewed on her bottom lip instead of answering, Arizona sighing. "Baby, please don't worry so much about something going wrong until something goes wrong," she requested wearily. "Because I am already doing that. Let me take care of the worrying. You have made a good plan. You've covered more bases than I even thought to worry about, Calliope. So please just come home?"

Callie smiled weakly, considering. All she could do was take Arizona at her word. And there was really nothing else she could do here. She was either prepared or she wasn't. And sitting in the lounge all night and giving herself a headache wouldn't help anyone. And she needed to help Arizona however she could. "Now?" she questioned, just to be sure.

"Yes, now," Arizona agreed in a heartbeat, climbing off of her lap and taking her girlfriend's hand to pull her to her feet. Her relief was clear in her voice. "Pack this stuff up and let's go home."

Somehow Callie was able to coax her to sleep, though Arizona was still bleary eyed when they arrived at the hospital the next morning to meet Timothy and the Robbins parents. She was distractedly fidgeting with her hair as they waited and Callie mustered a smile as she took her girlfriend's hand down and held it.

"You need to calm down, Arizona," she said with a quiet, forced laugh. "I'm the one who's got to face '_the_ Colonel' again, remember?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood. She couldn't remember ever being so anxious about a case before, but she couldn't think about that now.

"My parents already love you. And Tim's only met you once, but he thinks you're great. He says you're good for me."

Callie smirked, couldn't help herself. "I _am_ good for you."

Bumping her with an elbow, Arizona's lips quirked in a smile. "And humble too." The doors of the ambulance bay slid open and she moved forward before Callie could respond to the teasing, pulling her girlfriend along by the hand. "Hey, we're here," she greeted her parents, giving her big brother an affectionate swat to the shoulder as the hospital gurney he was reclining on wheeled up beside her. "If you were that desperate to come visit, you could have just taken leave, you know?"

He grinned in spite of his obvious pain. "Maybe I just wanted a good excuse to get your girlfriend to put her hands on me," he joked back, voice strained. Even when he was in a gurney, his shattered legs stiff in front of him, he was charming. Brown eyes sent a wink in Callie's direction and he offered his hand. "Callie, you're even more beautiful in person." Arizona could just fume, eyes narrowed at her brother, as he pulled the tanned hand in to press a kiss to the back of it.

"Yeah, yeah, Casanova." Arizona pulled Callie back from the bed deliberately and slid herself between them as the nurses steered the bed inside. "Hands to yourself or she'll be fixing those for you too."

Clearing her throat, Callie shook her head at her girlfriend with an accommodating smile. "Exam room 2, please," she directed her interns, falling into step behind the bed with the Colonel while Barbara and Arizona took up positions on either side. "Nice to see you again, sir." He shook her hand firmly. "I mean, you know, under the circumstances…"

"I understand," he said calmly. "Thank you for seeing Timothy."

"Oh, please, no," Callie denied. "Anything I can do to help."

He ushered her into the room and the surgeon cleared her throat, trying to shift from sympathetic family (girl)friend to dedicated, hardcore doctor. She caught Arizona's reassuring smile from her brother's bedside, holding his hand while they all turned their attention to Callie.

Abruptly, her phobia of public speaking surfaced in the face of the intimidating prospect of operating on Arizona's brother, and she forced herself to focus on Arizona's blue eyes. She was talking to Arizona. Just Arizona. She cleared her throat as the blonde gave her a knowing nod of encouragement. "Okay, so, obviously you know that there's a lot of damage here…" she started, relieved by Tim's laugh. She kept her description of the trauma short and more vague than she would have normally been with a patient. He knew what had happened to him already. The plan she laid out in detail, though, wanting him to understand the trauma she was going to have to inflict on him before things got better. She finished speaking and Barbara and Daniel's eyes turned to their son.

He swallowed hard, nodding and shifting himself in his bed. "Alright. Sounds rough, but if that's what we gotta do, that's what we gotta do," he said confidently, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Right?"

"Right," Callie confirmed, nodding back at him with her arms crossing her chest. "If you have any questions, if there's anything you're not comfortable with…"

"I trust you, Callie," he interjected, voice hoarse with pain, but steady and sure.

She glanced from him to Arizona, taking a deep breath. "Okay, well, it's going to be a process, so don't get too annoyed at me if I ask it more than once, alright?"

He grinned the same charming Robbins grin that his sister wielded so well and nodded again. "No worries," he promised. "As long as you don't get too annoyed with me either. I'm not the best patient," he sent a look toward his mother, "or so I hear, anyway."

"You'd be more comfortable if you let them give you something stronger for the pain," she shot back, sighing at her son.

Arizona and Callie both jumped, the blonde reaching for her brother's chart. "You're not on anything? Tim!"

"I don't want anything stronger," he said stubbornly. "They gave me morphine over there and I didn't like it. I had weird dreams."

"Weird dreams?" Arizona countered, frustrated. "Don't give me 'weird dreams,' Tim! There're other drugs we can give you. You don't have to hurt like this!"

His eyes shifted to Callie. "I'm okay. And the first surgery will be soon, right?"

Arizona and her parents looked at her as well and she swallowed nervously, feeling her anxiety rising. "Yeah, as soon as I get the OR booked."

Even as she spoke the door opened to admit Dr. Webber, the hospital's Chief of Surgery. African-American, tall, bearded, and bald, he radiated power and control even without speaking. Callie felt her back stiffen as he nodded to her and even Arizona's shoulders straightened as their boss entered. "Doctors," he greeted them politely, Arizona stepping up to introduce her parents.

"Dr. Richard Webber, Daniel and Barbara Robbins."

Tim waved cheerfully from the bed. "And I'm your new star patient," he joked with a grin, shaking the older man's hand. "Tim Robbins, nice to meet you." His grin turned wicked. "So, are you my sister's boss?"

The Chief glanced between his two surgeons, smirking himself. "I'm everybody's boss."

Arizona rolled her eyes as Tim laughed. "Awesome."

Dr. Webber's smile didn't disappear but his look got more serious. "I stopped by to assure you that the hospital will do whatever we can to make your stay comfortable. And Dr. Torres is absolutely the best surgeon for your case and she's going to give you her very best. Isn't that right, Dr. Torres?"

Callie nodded, shooting a glance at Arizona before she gave her boss her gaze. "Yes sir. Of course."

"Very good," he replied. "Dr. Robbins, of course Dr. Stark and Dr. Karev will be holding down Peds cases while your brother is here."

Arizona's brow dropped, a frown crossing her face. "Oh." Clearly that wasn't an idea she was okay with. If left on their own together much longer, she knew Alex would be run ragged picking up their ornery, lazy boss' slack. And she'd be left to stew and wait with her parents. She needed to work. "Sir, I appreciate that, but I can work…" He gave her a look and she continued quickly, "I mean, not like I want to scrub in on anything, but I can consult."

Callie bit her lip, not sure how much their Chief of Surgery knew about his Head of Pediatrics' work ethic. "Is there something you want to say to me, Dr. Robbins?" Dr. Webber asked, seeing her nerves in her face. Having known her since her internship, he knew that she had issues standing up to authority. It tended to make her burst into tears.

The blonde glanced to either side, hands fidgeting anxiously. "Oh, no, I just - Karev can handle it, I just - I want to help," she shrugged, "I can't sit around and do nothing, sir." Saying anything more would bring up her own lack of confidence in her boss' abilities. She wasn't about to give Stark any more reason to come down on her. She'd just have to do what she could from home to help Alex with the workload.

"Paperwork only, Dr. Robbins," he ordered sternly. "Your brother is in the hospital, you're going to be distracted, emotional. That equals paperwork."

She meekly nodded, dutifully ignoring her brother's smug grin. "Yes, sir."

"You're in good hands, Tim," Dr. Webber assured him, shaking his hand again before he turned to leave. "Mr. and Mrs. Robbins, anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. Dr. Robbins is one of ours and we take care of our people here."

The room was quiet in the wake of his departure, Callie releasing a deep breath. "Well, I need to get the schedule worked out and everything, but I'll come talk to you again before we get started," she promised, struggling not to stammer. "We should hopefully be able to start tomorrow."

"Thank you, Callie," Tim said earnestly. "Or should I call you Dr. Torres? Because I'm not going to lie, that's pretty hot. I could work with that." He just grunted when Arizona slugged his arm. "I got blown up! I'm in a hospital bed! Quit hitting me!"

"I will when you quit hitting on my girlfriend!" Arizona countered.

Callie couldn't help laughing. They were exactly how she'd thought they'd be together. "Tim, you can call a nurse if she won't stop bothering you. You need to get some sleep before tomorrow. If you want something to help…"

"I'm good," he declared immediately. "But you have to stop hitting me. Dr. Torres' orders!"

Arizona shot a look across the room at the Latina. "Stop encouraging him! You're supposed to be _my _girlfriend!"

"Hey!" Tim countered. "She can be my girlfriend if she wants to be!"

"Children…" Barbara interceded. "It's a miracle she'd be either one of your girlfriend." Shooting her brother a final look, Arizona silently declared a truce with Tim. "And if you need to rest, we're going to go home," their mother said, smoothing the top of Tim's sandy blonde hair with one hand.

"Do you need anything before we leave?" Callie checked considerately. She wanted to go over her plan once more before Arizona inevitably dragged her home and she was personally going to scour the staff for the best possible people to assist her. Anything she could possibly double check, she was going to do it.

"I'm good, doc." He gave her a reassuring smile and a wink to tease his sister. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Just for the record, I do have a plan here, I'm not just writing because I'm bored (as a matter of fact, the story is already written, I'm just still editing and making revisions on the off days I'm not posting a new chapter). There will be a defined plot with a distinct ending.<p>

If you don't want to read past the Spain ending, that's entirely your right.


	23. Chapter 19

Arizona knew she shouldn't be on the Peds ward, she technically wasn't on shift, but Callie was in surgery with Tim and her parents were in the waiting room. She was too much her father's daughter (and he was too much 'The Colonel') to be around him while they waited. And her mother, trying her best to comfort them both, would just make them crazy and cranky.

So she'd retreated to her colorful ward. Alex had taken the news that he was still saddled with Stark with healthy frustration, tempered by her promise to work through cases with him at home. So when she appeared at the nurses' station, he had to visibly stop himself from hugging her in relief.

"Hey!" He quickly sobered up as he remembered why she was wearing street clothes instead of her scrubs and lab coat. "How's your brother?" he asked, tapping the chart he was reading against the edge of the desk.

She shook her head at him. "Callie started a while ago. And this is supposed to be the easier surgery, but it'll be a few hours before we know anything." She was clearly stressed, even when she didn't want to show it. At least, she hoped only Alex could see it.

Considering that, Alex leaned next to her at the counter. "Want to help me with a consult?" he offered in an attempt to be supportive. "Stark was supposed to be down here an hour ago, but…"

"That sounds typical," Arizona grumbled, looking down at herself. "I can change. Just give me a few more minutes."

He shrugged out of his lab coat and held it out to her on two hooked fingers. "Just throw this on." He pinched his ID off the front and adjusted the collar to cover the majority of his name on the chest. "They've already been waiting for an hour."

"Alright. What've we got?"

"It's a cancer patient. You up for that today? I can totally take it…"

"Alex, I can't just sit around and watch my dad pacing," she reminded him, taking the chart he offered. "Walk me through it."

He ran down the essentials of the case as they walked, Arizona reading the chart. "Redding family, this is Dr. Robbins. She's an attending surgeon in pediatrics and she's here to consult on your case."

The room was full, the little girl under the sheets, her parents on either side and her grandparents surrounding the bed. Arizona looked up to give the family a smile, not letting it slip at the severe look on the father's face. "Is this some kind of joke? Are there no grown up doctors in this hospital?"

The pair exchanged glances and Arizona cleared her throat, putting the chart down on the table at the foot of the bed. "I assure you, we're very good, Mr. Redding." She maintained her friendly smile and perky demeanor through sheer force of will. This was better than sitting and stewing, but not by much.

"Are you his boss?" The rest of his family seemed content to let Mr. Redding question her but Arizona didn't back down.

"Yes sir, I am."

"And where is your boss?"

Glancing sideways at Alex again, she could see him shrug. He would follow her lead. "Dr. Karev actually paged him for this meeting about an hour ago and Dr. Stark never showed up. He asked me to come here so you nice people wouldn't have to wait any longer," Arizona explained, forcing her voice to remain cheerful.

"How come you didn't get paged, or called, or whatever? Are you not good?"

She shook her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "No, sir. I'm very good. I'm not working today though. This meeting was a favor for you and Dr. Karev. If you'd rather wait for Dr. Stark, I'm free to get back to my day off." Even without looking over at him, she could feel Alex hiding a smirk. "Nice to meet you all." She turned as though she was going to leave, Alex keeping pace with her.

They didn't make it to the door before Mr. Redding was calling them back. "Wait, please, I'm sorry." He gave a harried sigh and Arizona found herself sympathetic. He looked exactly how she felt inside - anxious, stressed, impatient. "It's my little girl. She's sick and I don't know what I'm doing. You understand, right?"

"We understand," Arizona said, returning to the foot of the bed. "The good news is that your daughter's tumor is stage one, still small, and there's no sign that it's metastasized to any of her other organs." She snapped an MRI into the light box on the wall to show them the tumor. "Dr. Karev will be able to resect the tumor - it looks like it has clean margins - and we'll want to have Oncology keep an eye on her, but if we can get all of the tumor out cleanly, there's a good chance she won't even need Chemo."

A throat clearing from the doorway drew every eye in the room. "Dr. Robbins," Stark greeted her, his expression clearly displeased.

She maintained her chipper disposition. "Ah, Dr. Stark, nice of you to join us. Finally." Alex coughed lightly but didn't say anything at the borderline disrespect in her tone.

"I was unaware that you were working today, Dr. Robbins," he said, moving into the room and attempting to stare her down, his eyes flicking down to spot Alex's name on the coat at her chest.

"I'm not. I offered to take this consult after you were late, sir," she answered, turning away from him toward the family of the patient. "Do you have any questions about anything we talked about?"

And throat clearing interrupted her. "If you do, you can direct them to Dr. Karev. Dr. Robbins, if you'd follow me into the hall," Stark ordered her sternly.

Alex took the chart, mouthing an apology behind their boss' back. She waved it off, patting his arm. "Dr. Karev is a brilliant surgeon. You're in very good hands," she promised, grinning. "It was lovely to meet you all."

The polite, friendly expressions (Stark's less than convincing) slid from their faces as soon as Arizona pulled the door closed behind her. "Dr. Robbins, that was less than professional behavior."

"And what about _your_ less than professional behavior?" she shot back, knowing that she should just let it go but unable to help herself. "Taking more than an hour to answer a page?"

"You're a skilled surgeon, Robbins, but you should remember your place," he countered.

"And you should remember that the people you operate on aren't just surgical dummies! They have families, loved ones, that deserve a few minutes of your time and attention," Arizona argued, neither of them realizing how much their voices had gone up in volume.

"Doctors!" The bark from their Chief stopped them both in their tracks. "Both of you, with me." Arizona realized she was fuming as she fell into step behind her bosses, frustrated at the situation, at Stark, at letting herself lose control, and mostly at not knowing how her brother was doing. Stark being an insensitive asshole was nothing new. She could normally control herself, keep her thoughts about her boss to herself - or at least limit sharing them to only Alex, Teddy, or Callie. Today was just not her day.

And now she was going to get reamed out by their boss in front of her boss. Shit.

Chief Webber gave them both stern glares as he steered them into the nearest conference room. "Dr. Stark, would you care to explain?"

Diving right into his angry explanation, he stabbed a finger at Arizona. "She undermined my authority, took my consult when she's not even working, and was _very_ unprofessional in front of a patient…"

The Chief crossed his arms and gave the blonde a firm look. "Dr. Robbins, do you have something to add?"

She took a moment to gather herself, desperate not to let her authority issues get the better of her and start crying. She didn't like being yelled at by anyone in a position of authority over her. And it normally triggered an embarrassing bout of waterworks. "Sir, I was just going up to Peds to do some charting, like you said I could, but Alex Karev told me that he'd paged Dr. Stark for a consult with the family of a little girl with a malignant tumor, but Dr. Stark hadn't showed up and the family had been waiting for over an hour. So I offered to do the consult." She shrugged, deliberately leaving out that it have been Alex's idea. She wasn't going to let him get into trouble because she'd lost control of her emotions. "When Dr. Stark finally showed up, _after_ we were done talking through the procedure, he was upset and asked me to step out," she squared her shoulders, posture military straight, "Which is the point where you arrived, sir."

"Dr. Stark, appointments with patients are nothing to be taken lightly," Dr. Webber stated, Stark glaring darkly at Arizona. "And Dr. Robbins, perhaps you should spend some time with your parents while your brother is still in surgery," he suggested in a way that made it clear that it wasn't a suggestion.

Nodding, Arizona didn't look back at either of them as she turned her back and left the room. Alex was waiting for her a few paces down the hall and she let him catch up as she didn't stop to talk to him. She just wanted the surgery to be over so she could talk to Callie, see Tim for herself.

"Do I need to kick that guy's ass?" Alex asked as they walked briskly, glancing over his shoulder himself.

Just to be safe, she grabbed his sleeve. "No, Karev. The last thing we need today is you getting suspended. And it's not like Stark being a dick is new behavior. I'm just letting it get to me." She scoffed, still frustrated with everything. "And the Chief won't let me do anything but charts."

"Well, you are kind of worked up," he pointed out without thinking. "I mean," she glared up at him, "balls, I meant - not like you _couldn't_ cut, but…" He grumbled under his breath for a moment. "Damn it."

"It's fine," she let him off the hook, handing him his lab coat back. "Just rock that girl's surgery, alright? For me?"

"You got it, boss," he agreed, the pair casually fist bumping before he left her to go back to work.

She'd already wandered the lounge and the cafeteria for a few hours before she'd ended up in Peds, so she reluctantly started back toward the waiting room, hoping that she'd killed enough time that the waiting with her parents wouldn't drive her completely nuts.

Her wish was granted in the form of a page, the little device on her hip beeping with a signal from Callie. Her pace picked up suddenly and she kicked out her wheels and took off, coasting straight past Bailey and into the elevator. "Sorry Miranda!" she called over her shoulder.

"Your girl's too busy right now to fix your fool behind!" her friend yelled after her. "Slow yourself down!"

Her parents were already on their feet when she slid into the waiting room, Callie appearing from the OR hallway only a second after Arizona arrived.

"There you are!" Barbara's nerves were apparent in her voice.

"I'm here," Arizona gasped her agreement, eyes focused on Callie's face, trying to read her expression.

Callie fidgeted with the back of her scrub cap, one hand rubbing nervously over her head as she walked out to join them. "I finished most of the reconstruction on the left leg. The repairs they made initially had started to knit, so I did have to re-break the leg. And I had to put in a few pins, but I'm hopeful." The Robbins let out breaths of relief and Callie smiled tentatively. "It'll take some serious physical therapy, but so far, so good." She couldn't help laughing as Arizona threw herself into her arms, taking a quick step back to keep from dropping her. "Arizona!"

"Told you so!" the blonde stated, letting Callie set her back on her feet. "You rocked it, Calliope."

"Is he awake?" Barbara questioned, relieved but still anxious.

Callie shook her head. "Not just yet. They're still taking him down to recovery. I'll be sure they let you in to see him as soon as possible."

She nodded. "Thank you, Callie."

"Yes, thank you," the Colonel added, shaking her hand firmly.

The relief was palpable - it was still early, but any success was to be treasured - but they were all surprised when Arizona laid a passionate kiss on her girlfriend, both hands framing her face. Callie couldn't help her surrender, closing her eyes as Arizona sucked on her bottom lip before letting her go. "Thank you, Calliope," the blonde whispered against her lips, adding her own to her parents' gratitude.

"You're welcome," Callie whispered back, blushing as she realized that they were in the middle of the waiting room with Arizona's parents. "I need to get changed, but I'll be back when they get Tim to recovery," she promised, not surprised to feel Arizona's fingers lace through hers.

"I'm going with her," Arizona announced as though it was going to surprise anyone, following Callie back into the OR hall while her parents hugged out their relief.

Callie liked to take a quick shower after any surgeries that took longer than four hours, but she insisted that Arizona not join her, citing professionalism and their bigger shower at home as a reason for her to wait. When she emerged from the shower, her girlfriend's expression had faded somewhat. "What's wrong? Are you pouting because I wouldn't give you shower sex at work? Arizona…"

"No, it's not that," the blonde denied, shaking her head distractedly. "I kind of lost it at Stark earlier…"

"What?" asked Callie in disbelief, tousling her hair with her towel.

"In front of the Chief…"

Callie shifted her shirt on her shoulders as she sat down on the bench next to Arizona. "Oh, baby, he knows that today was a long day. I'm sure he'll be understanding."

"I did a consult for Alex. After I told Dr. Webber that I would only do paperwork, stay away from patients," she sighed heavily and Callie rubbed a hand across the top of her back, "He was afraid I wouldn't be able to work today and he was right."

Callie considered her before she spoke, tracing her face with her eyes. Arizona could be stubborn, could close herself off from other people, and probably _had _been too emotional to work today. But she would never, _ever_ do anything to harm a patient. "Did you lose it with the patient?"

"No," sighed the blonde. "We had just finished up explaining the procedure and Stark asked me to step into the hall." She rubbed at her hair with one hand, suddenly weary. Tim had come through his first surgery and now they had a day or two to relax before the next step would be underway. It was a tiring thought. "I don't even know what happened, Calliope. He gives us crap all the time. Today I just… couldn't take it."

"Well, it's going to be okay," Callie said, still rubbing her back gently. "Dr. Webber knows you. He knows you're going through a lot right now. And you didn't lose it with a patient."

Unexpectedly, Arizona laughed quietly. "I kind of got a little snaky with the patient actually, but it was about Stark," she shook her head with a tired smile, "Karev almost laughed."

"Oh brother," sighed Callie. "Okay, what are you doing for the rest of the day? Because you should probably get out of the hospital. You need to relax. Go home and get drunk or something," she suggested.

They both looked up as the attending's locker room door opened, their seated position hiding them behind the second row of lockers. "Dr. Robbins, I'd like to see you in my office when you have a moment," Dr. Webber called through the doorway and they could both hear the door swing closed as he left them.

"I guess I'm going to the office," Arizona answered Callie's question. Damn it…

Tim was awake when Callie joined the Robbins in his recovery room, the man waving her in eagerly until he could pull her into an excited hug. "Check it out!" She leaned back to see that he was wiggling his toes on his left foot. "And it doesn't even hurt that bad! Nothing like it was."

"Good, that's so good, Tim," Callie praised. She'd intended to come for a social visit, but couldn't help running both hands over his leg and checking the incision under the heavy bandages. "The pain should lessen soon." He was almost bouncing in the bed in his eager joy and she pinned him with a look. "But remember, just when this one starts feeling better, the other one is going to be worse."

"But then they both get better," he stated confidently. "You're a rockstar, doc! Now where's baby sister? I figured she'd be beating down the door to get in here."

Callie caught a grimace before it escaped, not sure how much trouble Arizona would get into for smarting off to her boss. "Oh, she had to go talk to Dr. Webber. Hopefully it won't take too long."

Barbara's motherly intuition sensed that there was something Callie wasn't saying and she frowned. "Arizona didn't do something wrong, did she?" Her daughter's girlfriend just blinked in surprise at her insightful guess. "I know my Arizona, Callie. She has authority issues even on her best day. And she's been running around here like a chicken with her head cut off for hours."

Tim chuckled, amused. "Damn, what'd she do?"

Shrugging, Callie chewed on her bottom lip. "She kind of got a little… short with her boss," she said. "In front of our Chief."

"O-o-oh," Tim dragged out his laugh, pointing as Arizona herself arrived in his doorway. "Nice one, sis! Getting snippy with the boss?"

Arizona just shook her head, appearing dazed. "Babe, what happened?" Callie questioned, trying to read her expression. If she wasn't mistaken, Arizona almost looked… happy? Excited? "What did the Chief say?"

Arizona's jaw worked up and down without speaking. "Honey?" Barbara tried, one hand reaching for her daughter's shoulder. "Tell us what happened…"

"Stark…" gasped out Arizona, the name drawing a frown to Callie's face.

"What did that jerk do now?"

"I'm getting his job."

It took a moment for the words to register, Callie's jaw dropping. "What? Arizona, that's amazing!" Swallowing through a dry throat, the blonde tried to clear her head. "How did this happen?"

Barbara helpfully handed Arizona Tim's plastic cup of water, Arizona drinking it all the way down. "Thanks, Mom," she breathed gratefully.

"So what happened with the Chief?" Callie asked impatiently, eager to hear how what they thought was going to be a dressing down had become a promotion to department head.

Laughing, Arizona gave her a dimpled grin. "I'm getting there, Calliope!" Seeing that she had the attention of not only her girlfriend but her parents and her brother too, she took a moment to settle into her role as storyteller. "Okay, so the Chief called me into his office, right? I figured he was going to kick my ass, but he said that today wasn't the first complaint he's had about Stark, just the last straw. Apparently the last two weeks while we were gone, Peds hasn't been running so smoothly. Webber said the schedule's been messed up, patient's parents have complained about Stark being late or not showing up at all, and Karev's been running his ass off trying to cover the bases. The Chief said all the nurses and residents told him when he asked that I was the one who normally ran the schedule and stuff that the department head is supposed to be doing." She took a deep breath, shrugging deprecatingly. "It's not going to be immediate, but once Dr. Stark's contract is up in three months, Peds is mine."

"Darling, that's wonderful," Barbara gasped, pleased and proud of her daughter.

"Good for you," added Tim, holding out one arm for a fist bump. "And another one," he requested, pointing down at his wiggling toes.

Arizona cried, "Oh, Tim, that's so great!" She couldn't help laughing as she obliged him with another fist bump. "Oh my God, I didn't even ask! I'm so sorry!" Her job was important to her, but nothing was more important than how Tim and Callie had come through their surgery.

He waved it off. "No worries. You were getting promoted. That's big!"

"Not as big as you having surgery, you idiot," Arizona denied, insult tinged with fondness for her big brother. "How are you feeling?"

Tim shifted in the bed, both hands pushing himself up against the pillows. "Your girl fixed me up good as new," he boasted, grinning as Callie and Arizona both rolled their eyes at him. "Don't scoff at me! I'm going to be back on my feet before you know it."

"I really hope you are, Tim," Callie said, one hand finding a spot on the small of Arizona's back as she stepped up behind her girlfriend at the bedside. "But it won't be quick and it won't be easy." She wished she could let him keep going with his hopeful optimism. But she was his doctor here, not his sister's girlfriend. She caught her hand rubbing circles over the fabric of Arizona's shirt, the blonde leaning into the touch.

He didn't appear put off by her realist attitude. "It's you and me, Callie. We got this," he said, completely earnest and confident. "And _after_ you and I get me walking, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you let me take you dancing." Arizona's mouth opened to protest and he continued with a grin before his sister could say anything, "With no comment from _you_," he added pointedly.

"Fine," Arizona grumbled. "But I'm coming with and I _will_ be watching you, buddy. So you _will_ keep your hands where I can see them at all times."

Barbara sighed from the other side of the bed, shaking her head at her children. "You two aren't over fighting over girls?" Tim just grinned while Arizona rolled her eyes at him. "Not that I think you have a chance this time, Timothy…" Chuckling, Callie nodded confirmation and slid her hand around to grip Arizona's hip, holding her girlfriend against her side. "You get along so well when you're not squabbling over some girl. What was that one girl…?"

"Mom!" Tim cut in quickly before she could say any names and get him in trouble, shaking his head at her. "No, we're not fighting. No fighting." He gave Arizona a shallow smile, his dimples not popping. "I know I don't have a shot with Callie, anyway," he said in an effort to be reassuring.

They had always gotten along well, their longest rocky patch coming in high school when confused, scared girls couldn't make up their minds which of the Robbins siblings they actually wanted. And dating someone who'd just dumped his sister hadn't been his finest moment. Teenage boys were thoughtless and stupid, though. But Callie didn't have the same indecisive issue, obviously.

"She's clearly crazy for you." Arizona started to smile as she felt Callie's nod of agreement against the side of her neck, the Latina stepping fully behind her and wrapping her arm more completely around her waist. "And _way _out of my league," he added with a note of finality, relieved when Arizona reached forward and patted his left leg lightly, not putting pressure on his heavy bandages.

"Okay, no need to outright _lie_," Arizona joked. "You're a good guy, Tim. And if she hadn't had the good fortune to meet me first, you might have had a slim, small, _tiny_ chance with my Calliope," she acknowledged.

"We can't date patients," Callie chimed in, tone amused. In some other world where she hadn't met Arizona, she might have noticed her brother. But in this life, she was happily in love with Arizona Robbins and Tim was just out of luck.

Timothy made a show of slumping his shoulders in disappointment before he straightened again and shrugged. "Oh well. It'll all work out."

Callie couldn't help admiring his hopeful attitude. He was facing, optimistically, a few more weeks of surgeries and another few _months_ of long, painful, hard physical therapy to get back what he'd lost. She knew she sure as hell wouldn't be so steadily optimistic in the face of that. She'd be under a bar with a bottle of tequila. Or if she was single, she'd undoubtedly be crawling out of some random stranger's bed.

But she wasn't the one facing painful, grueling recovery (and that only if she could pull off her plan to fix his right leg), it was Tim. Tim, who _was_ single and on his own, and yet still confident that they would get this done together.

"We will definitely go dancing," she said, completely without thinking. "We'll bring Teddy," she added when Arizona's head turned to give her a look. "And the Greys. Cristina is always a good time, too."

The blonde scoffed. "Once she's drunk, she's a good time," she corrected her girlfriend. "It would be fun though." She leaned her head back against Callie's shoulder, smirking in challenge. "Do you think Tim could keep up though? Even with two good legs, that group…"

"Oh, believe me, little sister, anyone you can hang with, I can keep up," Tim declared, supremely confident. "Give me and Callie a few months to kick this shattered legs thing in the ass and I'll be there." Arizona grinned, feeling Callie's body swaying them gently from side to side. "Now, I'm glad you didn't get fired, and it's good to see all of you, but I'm beat, so…"

"We're going," Arizona promised, leaning over to give him a kiss on the forehead. "Unfortunately, I have a lot of paperwork to do now."

Tim rolled his eyes unsympathetically. "Oh, boo-hoo, sis! You got promoted, poor you!"

She gave him a swat to the arm. "Shut up. You _have _to lay around and do nothing, boo-hoo!"

"Alright, you two break it up," Barbara interceded before either one could say anything more. "Arizona, leave your brother alone."

"Hey, how is-"

Callie quickly pulled her back from the bed, waving one hand at Tim. "We're going. Tim, I'll check on you in the morning. Get some sleep. It'll probably be a few days before we can operate again."

He nodded, smiling confidently. "We got this, Callie."

* * *

><p>Booya! Longest chapter (so far)!<p> 


	24. Chapter 20

Callie could feel the sweat soaking into her scrub cap as she stared down into Timothy Robbins' shattered right leg. She was wavering, nervous and unsure what to do.

"What are we doing?" Owen Hunt asked her, brows furrowed over his deep eyes. She'd asked him to assist on this surgery, the more difficult repairs it would require. She thought his career in the military as a trauma surgeon might give him some experience with similar injuries.

"The pins aren't going to work here, no matter how much I wire it together," she mused.

Owen nodded agreement. "Not if he wants any flexibility in his knee."

"I want him to have flexibility," confirmed Callie. "I want him to walk." She was wracking her brain for her plan for this eventuality. "We could do a total knee replacement."

His blue eyes scanned the draped leg in consideration. "Is the femoral head going to be able to hold?"

Callie was confident in her answer, her first bit of true confidence today. She hated feeling so unsure in her OR. It wasn't because she didn't know what she was doing, but because of _who_ she was doing it on. "Yes, it'll hold."

"And the fibula and tibia?"

They'd done extensive work on the lower half of Tim's leg, but there was no way the repairs to the bones would survive a knee instillation. She gnawed on her lip behind her mask, grateful that her colleagues couldn't see her indecision. They could close up, let the bones heal some before they did the knee replacement, but it would mean adding months more to Tim's recovery.

"It would take months before the bones were strong enough," she said with a sigh. "And even then… This leg would be extremely weak, even after the knee repair." Her next idea was extreme but would cut the recovery time down and would increase the chances that Tim would walk again. "What if we replaced the shattered bones entirely?" Her suggestion was met with surprised silence. "We wouldn't be able to do anything more today, but we could go in again in a few days or next week, as soon as I could get the titanium parts I need."

"That is extreme," Hunt conceded, considering. "But it would work, wouldn't it?"

"I can do it," answered Callie, starting to regain her confidence. She was a rockstar. She could totally build bones. She met her friend's eyes and nodded. "Let's close him up for today and I'll go over the options with the patient. If he wants to wait, we'll wait."

Owen nodded. "Sounds good, Dr. Torres."

Callie met Arizona and her parents in the waiting room again, catching Arizona in a hug in what was becoming the post-surgery norm. "We finished with the femur, the thigh bone," she clarified for the elder Robbins' benefit, "but the lower half of his leg was obviously more damaged…"

"Are you going to have to amputate?" Barbara asked, voice trembling, and her husband wrapped an arm around her.

"That's not the plan," Callie reassured her. "We had to wire up the tibia and fibula because they were both in so many pieces," Barbara whimpered, "and we can put rods in, but we've got some options from here. Tim's going to need a knee replacement if he wants to walk again, but the bones in his lower leg aren't strong enough yet. There's a chance that the healed bones might not be strong enough for a knee replacement for another few months."

"And Tim would be bedridden that whole time?" the Colonel asked, scowling at the thought.

Callie nodded regretfully, tightening her arm around Arizona's waist as she felt her girlfriend lean into her. She knew how badly all of this was hurting her partner, couldn't bear the thought of it dragging on for months. "Yes, for the most part. His left leg should be solid in a few more weeks, but he'd only be able to be on crutches and that would be _extremely _limited. Any accidents would set him back by at least a month, probably much longer." The Robbins parents exchanged glances. "But I do have an idea to avoid all of that," she said, her arm curling over Arizona's shoulders and she could feel her girlfriend's eyes on her. "It's a little…extreme, so I want to talk to Tim before we go ahead with anything."

"Extreme? How extreme?" he questioned.

"Very extreme," Callie answered honestly. "And it wouldn't be easy, but if Tim's up for it, it'll keep his recovery time down. We wouldn't have to wait for his bones to heal, we could do the knee replacement in a few days." She sighed heavily. "I'll lay out the details for you, but let's wait for Tim to wake up and we can talk, alright?" She could see the tension, the exhaustion in their faces, feel it in Arizona's stiff posture at her side. "But it'll be a little while, so how about you get some coffee, relax in his room for a bit?" she suggested.

The Colonel nodded, but Barbara slipped out of his supporting arm and hugged Callie suddenly, practically shoving Arizona out of her way. "Oh," Callie gasped, surprised. "Mrs. Robbins…?"

"Thank you, Callie," the older woman whispered into her shoulder. "Thank you for everything you're doing for our son."

Arizona moved to her father's side, smiling as she watched her mother squeeze the life out of the woman she loved. She knew exactly what those hugs felt like and watching Callie get one made her heart swell. That hug had always meant that she was home. Now Callie meant she was home. Even now, with everything they were going through, everything they still had to get through, Callie was the one thing that comforted her, supported her, still made her smile and laugh effortlessly. She could fake it for her parents, but she didn't have to fake it with Callie. And if she wasn't feeling up to smiling or laughing, that was okay too. And she loved her more every single day for that. Throughout all of this, Callie had been wonderful, her rock even when she was stressing herself out as she made her own endless plans for her surgeries for Tim. But the thought of Callie joining her family, her home with her parents and her brother, made her fight a sudden impulse to drop to one knee right there in the waiting room.

She controlled that urge as her mother released her girlfriend. There was too much to get through with Timothy to give Callie a distraction like proposing. Her lover needed her focus. That didn't mean she wasn't going to think about it, though. Marrying Calliope Torres was something she _needed_ to do. But she wanted to get it right. And making her own plans would be a wonderful distraction from the anxiety.

"Of course, Mrs. Robbins."

"I thought I told you, call me Barbara," she corrected Callie. "You love my daughter, you're helping my son, you're part of the family, Callie." Arizona's dimpled grin couldn't be contained. Her parents loved Callie. But that wasn't a surprise. Her Calliope was amazing.

"Barbara, don't make a scene," the Colonel requested, though his voice was fond. "Let's get that coffee. We'll see the girls in a while."

Arizona slid back to Callie's side as her parents left them, offering a coffee of her own from somewhere. Callie drank it gratefully, smiling fondly at the colorful travel mug she'd once stolen from Arizona's kitchen. "Thank you, babe. I needed this. How are you doing?" she checked, concerned as always how the blonde was handling each stage of her brother's recovery. Of course, she was worried about Tim as well, as his doctor, as someone who could hopefully be a friend when this was all over, but Arizona was the one she loved.

"Come on," Arizona coaxed instead of answering, leading her back toward the OR hallway. "I know you want to take a shower."

Callie let herself be pulled along, sipping her coffee as they walked. "Can I talk you through the idea while I'm in there, or do you have to go?" If Arizona didn't want to share, there was no way to force her. She'd learned that lesson well the last week since Tim's arrival. Hopefully explaining her idea would offer some reassurance, even if the other woman didn't think she needed it.

"I'm all yours," promised the blonde, shaking her head as they entered the locker room. "What have you got in mind for Tim?" Sighing, Callie tugged her scrub top and t-shirt over her head and dropped them thoughtlessly to the floor. Arizona's hands intercepted hers at the tie at her waist. "Let me help," she said softly, smiling. "This is my favorite part."

Callie laughed, combing her own fingers through loose blonde hair. It certainly seemed like Arizona was doing alright if she was trying to get her naked in the locker room at work. "You like all the parts, Arizona."

Smile became smirk, but Arizona didn't deny it. "You're sexy," she said instead. "And I have perfect vision, Calliope. And I am very-"

Strong fingers drew her head up and pulled her into a searing kiss, Callie holding her flush against her body. "Tell me that I'm great," Callie requested against her lips. Because if Arizona was okay, then she was free to be freaked to hell at the thought of replacing Tim's bones.

Arizona kissed her again, both hands bunching and gripping in dark waves of hair. "You," kiss, "are," kiss, "great, Calliope." The next kiss was slow, soft, and sweet. And suddenly Arizona was fighting another impulse to drop to one knee. It was ridiculous, though. She didn't even have a ring yet. The locker room at work would never be the right setting to propose anyway, so she controlled herself, stepping back while her hands directed Callie toward the shower stall.

"Hey, you know…"

"No shower sex at work, Calliope," Arizona reminded her gleefully, wicked smirk on her lips. She could understand how Callie liked denying her sex at work - it was kind of fun in a teasing way. "It's _your _rule."

Grumbling under her breath, Callie retreated behind the curtain and snapped it closed again with a final sullen glare for her girlfriend.

Even grumpy, she was stunning and Arizona had to resist the urge to swoon ridiculously. "So, tell me about your idea for Tim." She raised her voice to be heard over the water, leaning back against the cool tile wall that made up half of the shower stall.

It took Callie a few moments to answer, her voice distracted. "I want to build his bones out of titanium and completely replace the tibia and fibula."

Blinking in surprise, Arizona muttered, "Whoa," in disbelief. "You can do that?"

"Well, I don't know. It would take some work, obviously, but I think I can do it." Callie held back an appreciative moan as she leaned her head back into the hot water and closed her eyes, letting it pelt her face and hair. "He's in good shape, it would shorten the recovery time, and I think it's worth a shot, but it's totally up to Tim."

"Oh, he'll go for it," said Arizona confidently. "Tim would never turn down a chance to have a robot leg."

Callie frowned, trying to make sure she'd heard her correctly. After a second, she poked her head out around the edge of the shower curtain. "Did you say robot leg?"

Arizona nodded, arms crossed her chest. "Like the Terminator…" she clarified matter-of-factly. Callie just gave her a confused, almost concerned look. "What? I'm just - that's what _he's_ going to say!"

"It is not a robot leg!" Callie countered defensively.

"Um, it kind of _is_, Calliope," the blonde declared, stubborn and insistent. "And it's awesome."

Callie groaned as she retreated back into the shower. "You're not going to call it a robot leg in front of your parents, are you?"

Chuckling, Arizona grinned to herself. "I promise I won't."

"Thank you," called Callie from the other side of the curtain.

"But I bet you Tim will."

There was a clear challenge in her tone and Callie stuck her head out again. At this rate she'd never get the conditioner rinsed out of her hair. "Yeah, okay…" she agreed sarcastically.

"You think I don't know?" Arizona questioned with an arched eyebrow. "I know my brother, Calliope. If he doesn't say something about the Terminator, I'll owe you whatever you want."

Callie smirked, her own eyebrow rising. "Oh, well that sounds promising…"

"But _when_ he proves me right, I expect the same deal," she bargained with a teasing grin. She was totally confident about this. Tim absolutely wouldn't let her down. And maybe the hot, hot sex she'd collect as her winnings would convince Callie that she wasn't going to break down at any moment.

Laughing, Callie went back behind the shower curtain before she dragged her girlfriend in and under the water with her. The look in Arizona's blue eyes was almost too much, the familiar darkening of her irises that told her exactly how much she was wanted. "Definitely. It goes without saying."

"Good," Arizona agreed from the other side of the barrier, smug. She kept her self control by keeping her distance, taking Callie's hand after she was clothed again. Something about today just had her feeling affectionate and wanting to show her girlfriend exactly how much she loved her. It just felt like a _good_ day. They still had their rules about staying professional at work though, rules she'd been paying less attention to since her personal life had come to basically live at her workplace.

She kept her hands to herself but didn't let her hand go as they wandered toward Tim's room. He was still sleeping and Callie moved forward to check on his readings. Everything was steady and stable and she breathed a sigh of relief. Even at her most confident, this was still Arizona's brother she was working on, both his life and her life, the life she wanted with Arizona, at stake here.

Arizona pressed up behind Callie, chin on her shoulder as she read the look on her girlfriend's face. "You're an amazing doctor, Calliope. Don't worry so much." She turned her face into Callie's neck, nuzzling her nose into soft skin. "I'm happy to help you relax, though," she promised in a whisper.

"Arizona…" There had been a distinct lack of flirting with both of them being as distracted as they'd been. That drought was apparently over now. Not that that presented a problem for her. Whatever Arizona needed from her - be it quiet comfort, or flirty, hot sex - she was going to get it without reservation.

Their attention went back to the bed when Tim woke up coughing, a chuckle making its way out. "What's up, doc?" he asked hoarsely, laughing at his own joke. Callie checked his monitors again, glad to see everything stay steady. "How'd it go?" The Robbins parents moved up on the other side of the bed to listen to Callie, the surgeon taking a deep breath. "What's with all the serious faces?" Tim looked around at the rest of them. "How bad could it have been? I'm awake and," he lifted the sheet to check his legs, "I've got both of my legs. I mean, they hurt like a bitch, but they're still there… for now?"

"Well, we actually have a few things we need to go over about that," Callie said, forcing her professionalism to hold. She was a rockstar. She could totally build bones. She was definitely _not_ going to be the one to disable a brave, honorable Marine for life (especially not one who just so happened to be her lover's brother.) "Just a few options before we go forward, alright?"

"Sure, okay," Tim said, looking to Arizona for reassurance, his sister giving him a smile. "Whatcha got for me, Callie?"

The Latina took a moment to gather her thoughts, feeling Arizona shift to stand at her side, her hand moving into her own where Callie took it and squeezed. "You're going to need a knee replacement, at the minimum."

"Awesome," he sighed, nodding for her to continue. "I'm guessing that's the good news. What else?"

"Well, as it is right now, the two bones in the bottom half of your leg have been completely shattered."

"Did it at least look cool in there? Can I look at some pictures?" He pushed himself up with one hand against the bed.

Barbara whimpered, squeezing her son's hand. "Timothy," the Colonel called him down sternly. His look spoke clearly - don't upset your mother.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Mom, it's okay," he soothed her, letting her hold his hand. "Dr. Torres, please go on…"

Callie gave each of the Robbins a final look before diving into the explanation of her plan, "Okay, so we wired your leg back together, but it's going to be months before the bone is healed enough for me to do the knee replacement. And even if we wait, there's a chance of complication, infection, countless other things that could go wrong with the number of pieces your bones were in," she warned him.

He sighed, expression falling. "Well, that sucks."

"Well, I've got another idea, but it's extremely radical," Callie stated up front. "And you really need to think about it, alright?" She glanced sideways at Arizona, seeing her girlfriend hiding her smile even as her eyes were shadowed with worry and lack of sleep. "It's not going to make anything easier, just cut down on the time that you're off your feet."

"Okay," he agreed hesitantly. "Lay it on me, doc."

Closing her eyes briefly, Callie obeyed, "I could build you new bones out of titanium, completely replace the shattered tibia and fibula. It would cut down on the risk of infection, I'd be able to do the knee replacement at the same time, and we'd have you in physical therapy that much faster."

The elder Robbins stared at her for a long, quiet moment before their gaze dropped to look at their son. Even Tim looked stunned and Arizona shifted her hand in Callie's, lacing their fingers. She had no idea about the risks and complications of such a surgery, didn't know more than Callie had just told her parents, but she knew her girlfriend's abilities. She trusted Callie with her brother. And if Tim wanted to do this and they needed reassurance from her, she'd give them nothing but faith in her Calliope.

"So, you're saying… I'd have a robot leg, like the Terminator?" Tim asked slowly, his tone disbelieving.

Arizona abruptly dropped Callie's hand to throw both arms up in victory, nodding and shooting her girlfriend a smug smile when Callie's head turned to look at her.

"What's that about? Are you guys fighting about my robot leg? Arizona, you have to let me have a robot leg! Callie's awesome! She can totally build me a sweet Terminator leg!" Tim insisted, unconsciously raising his voice. "You can do it, right, Callie?"

Arizona just arched an eyebrow at her, nodding her back toward her conversation with Tim. "Yeah, I can do it, but it's not going to be simple. It's a serious decision, Tim. And whatever you want to do, I'll do it."

"I want the robot leg," he declared immediately, head nodding.

"No, wait, Timothy. Callie said you needed to think about it," Barbara interjected, not wanting her son to make such an important decision because he wanted to have a metal leg. "It all sounds good, Callie, but there has to be a downside, right?"

Callie nodded, feeling Arizona retake her hand, wrapping her arm through Callie's. "Your mom's right, Tim. It has a lot of risks."

He sat up straighter against his pillows, nodding back to her. "Okay, lay out the worst case scenario for me," he requested. "If it doesn't work, I lose my leg?"

"In a word, yes," Callie gave him his answer. "If I take out your bones below the knee but for some reason the titanium skeleton doesn't work, I'm not sure what it would take to fix it." She met Tim's eyes solidly, brown instead of blue, but similar in shape to his sister's eyes. The resemblance was unmistakable, even with the difference in coloring. "At that point, it would be safer for me to just amputate at the knee. But they do amazing things with prosthetics and I'd do everything I could to get you set up with the best one out there… Also, you understand that the metal bones would be inside your leg, so it wouldn't look _exactly _like a Terminator leg," she said, rolling her eyes slowly.

Considering, Tim was quiet. His free hand scrubbed through his hair, the top of it no longer military short after his weeks in the hospital. He had the scruff of a beard on his cheeks as well and he scratched at his jaw. The hair on top of his head was a dark, sandy blonde, much darker than Arizona's hair color but still blonde, but his facial hair was darker still with reddish highlights that matched their father's shade. "I want to do it," he declared finally after a few minutes of thought.

"You've barely had any time to think, Timothy!" Barbara objected, squeezing his hand.

"Mom, this is how I do things. I can't not do it because I'm afraid it won't work." He gave her a smile, so similar to Arizona's dimpled smile that it made Callie's heart thump harder in her chest.

Glancing sideways at Arizona, Callie saw that she was getting the same smile, a blonde head leaning over to rest against her shoulder. "Thank you," whispered Arizona.

Callie knocked her head lightly against the head on her shoulder. "I told you not to say that to me."

"Callie." Her name from the bed drew both of their attention. "I'm not trying to rush anything, so take your time building my robot bones, but I want to do it," Tim said, steady and sure and confident. The surgeon fought the urge to roll her eyes at the continued robot comments and he smirked. "I'll be your cyborg," he added just to bug her.

* * *

><p>Almost didn't get this one up today, but the internet came back to me (thank goodness!), so here it is - hope you enjoy! The medical stuff was lifted from a season 5 episode of Grey's - I don't know how factual it is - I just borrowed it...<p> 


	25. Chapter 21 pt 1

The cold breeze dragged Callie Torres to consciousness better than almost anything else would have and she groaned in sleepy complaint as fingers pushed the fabric of her top up slowly, warm lips scattering kisses across her stomach. "Arizona, it's cold," she grumbled, her own hand searching blindly for the misplaced covers. "What're you doing?"

Warm breath tickled a chuckle against her skin. "What does it feel like I'm doing?"

"It feels like you're trying to make me late for work," Callie answered, the realization of what _exactly_ her girlfriend was distracting her from sinking in and making her shoot up in bed, Arizona rolling off with a groan.

"That's what I was trying to avoid," the blonde muttered. "Calliope, you've got to relax." She sat up beside her and rubbed her back gently. Callie had been patient and loving with her for weeks now, today of all days, she wanted to give that back to her partner. "You've done more prep work for this surgery than I've done on my last five procedures." Of course, she wasn't cutting today, though.

Callie shot her a look over her shoulder. "Maybe that's because I'm a better surgeon than you," she said teasingly. There was no professional jealousy between them, just lighthearted teasing. Arizona was a genius with her kids, and no one else could do all the things she could. But Arizona would be just as hopeless as anyone else if she had to do one of Callie's surgeries.

Mouth dropping open, Arizona lunged at her, tackling her to the bed, though they were dangerously close to pitching over the side. Forgoing words, she kissed her girlfriend slowly, hands roaming her sides as she coaxed Callie into relaxing, even if she didn't realize that that's what Arizona was doing.

All that effort was wasted in a heartbeat when Arizona whispered the thought that she had been completely unable to shake out of her head the last few weeks - seeing Callie interact and become part of her family, she wanted to make it official. "I want to marry you."

Brown eyes went wide in a heartbeat. "Um, what…?" Heart pounding suddenly, Callie forced herself to breathe. "What happened to - Oh my God - Arizona!" She'd been holding her head up to keep contact between their lips, but she suddenly flopped back and let her head hang over the side of the bed. Her breath was coming harder and she tried to think past 'holy shit, had that just happened?' It was a less than successful effort.

Arizona didn't move off of her, frozen as her panicked mind tried to figure out how this had happened. She wanted to marry Callie, but blurting it out while they were kissing in bed wasn't any one of the plans she'd made. She didn't even have a ring yet. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, Arizona stared down at her lover, leaning in to kiss her extended neck. "Okay, so I said I want to marry you," she mused, trying to sound optimistic. "That's only bad if you don't want to marry me."

That got Callie's head up. "Don't be stupid, Arizona!"

"Stop!" Arizona interjected quickly. "I - we can't get engaged this morning. I might have just thrown it right out there, but this is not how we're going to get engaged. This was officially a statement. I want to marry you. I'm not asking you to marry me. Not yet."

The corners of Callie's mouth curled into a smile, one eyebrow rising. "You want to marry me…"

"I do," confirmed the blonde, head tilting to meet her as Callie leaned in.

"That's not your line… yet," she whispered against her lips, Arizona whimpering into the kiss as Callie flipped them. Any nerves she'd been feeling about what was hopefully going to be Tim's final surgery were completely wiped out in the feel of kissing Arizona. This woman loved her. This woman wanted to marry her. Abruptly, Callie pulled back from the kiss, her bottom lip sliding from between Arizona's teeth with a pop. "I just - I need to say one thing, okay?" Arizona nodded almost meekly. "I was married before," the blonde flinched, "and it was a disaster," the twitch was worse, "so, the next time I get married, that's it," she said, needing to know that Arizona felt the same way about it. "So when I say that I want to marry you, I mean that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Arizona Robbins."

Arizona couldn't help nuzzling her nose against Callie's, a soft, peaceful smile on her face. "That's exactly what I want too, Calliope."

Hearing the alarm on her phone kept Callie from responding beyond a whining groan. "As much as I would _love_ to stay here with you…"

"You're giving Tim his robot leg today." Arizona kissed her quickly before removing herself from beneath her girlfriend. "You're going to be amazing, babe."

Callie nodded, forcing herself to remain in the blissful feeling Arizona had put in her chest this morning. She didn't have the space inside to be anxious. Because Arizona _freaking_ Robbins wanted to marry her. "Just remember that you said you wouldn't get jealous when me and Tim go dancing."

Arizona's mouth dropped open as they rose from the bed, shaking her head in denial as she sifted through a drawer. "I never said I wouldn't get jealous! I said we'd go out with him. You're the one who said you'd dance with my brother. And I never agreed to not being jealous!" She scanned her girlfriend's body with blazing blue eyes. "Big brother just better watch his hands is all I'm saying…"

Her partner's exaggerated jealousy was still making Callie smile when she wheeled Tim into the OR, his eyes surveying her. "I can imagine what's got that look on your face, but since she's my sister, I'm going to pretend that you're just confident about our surgery," he declared, offering his arm to the nurse and letting himself get prepped for surgery.

"You're ready for this, right?" she checked. "If you're not…"

Tim cut her off with a resolute shake of the head. "We've got this, Callie. Cyborg me."

Muttering under her breath but smiling as she did it, Callie left him with a gentle slap to the shoulder. "Cyborg…" The scrub room door opened from the hall just as she came in from the operating room, Arizona giving her a weak smile. "What is it with Tim and the robot, cyborg, Terminator thing?" Callie questioned curiously with a laugh.

The smile became more relaxed, genuine. "Terminator was his favorite movie when he was a kid. And he's had a thing for robots his whole life." Arizona laughed, glancing through the window at her brother sleeping peacefully under the anesthesia mask. The sound of her laughter was hoarse and hollow, her anxiety unable to be restrained as the day progressed. "Believe me, you're fulfilling a lifelong dream of his here."

Callie watched Arizona's expression and gently turned her away from the window. "You know you can't watch, sweetheart," she reminded her softly. "You'll freak out, and I'll be nervous - well, more nervous…"

"No, I don't want to watch," Arizona agreed, looking faintly sick at the thought. "I just came to tell you one more time that you're a rockstar and I love you."

Smiling, Callie gave her a reassuring wink, leaning in to kiss her softly. She already had her scrub cap on, so Arizona couldn't grab onto her hair the way she liked, but she could still feel her girlfriend's hand brush across her jaw and the back of her neck. "I love you too," Callie whispered as they pulled back, Arizona sidestepping to avoid the door opening.

Owen didn't look surprised to see her there, just smiled and started to scrub. "Ladies…" he greeted them dryly.

"Okay," said Arizona, backing toward the door. "I'm going to go now, but you two… You've got this."

Callie nodded confirmation. "We've got this, Arizona. See you in a few hours, okay?"

The blonde just nodded as the door swung closed behind her, Callie shaking herself and joining Owen at the sinks. "It's a good plan, Torres," he said, not the first time he'd offered such reassurances. "I'll keep everything stable, you just have to install the titanium."

"Robot bones," Callie muttered, drawing a look from her redheaded co-surgeon.

"What?" he asked, smiling as he tied his mask behind his neck.

"Tim, the patient, has a thing for robots so ever since I told him what I wanted to do, he's been saying that I'm giving him a robot leg, or turning him into a cyborg, or the Terminator, or whatever," Callie explained, unable to help chuckling herself.

Owen took a moment to consider that, straightening his mask. "Well then, Dr. Torres, let's go give the patient his robot leg," he declared, leaving her laughing at the sink.

Callie calmed herself before she went into the OR, regaining her serious, hardcore persona before she took her spot at the table and called for a ten blade. The work went steadily, Callie feeling herself slide into a focused haze where the only thing in her mind was putting bones she'd built into place and making them work. She couldn't think about the hopeful thought Arizona had planted in her mind, she couldn't remember that this was Arizona's big brother she was trying to heal. It was an amazing, hardcore surgery and she was rocking it. That was all there was to it.

A glance into the crowded gallery showed Karev and Teddy watching, but thankfully no Arizona. She knew she'd freeze up if the blue eyes she adored were watching her operate on Tim. She gave them a reassuring nod, confident that they were in the homestretch. "How we doing up there, Dr. Hunt?" she asked, putting her drill back on her tray. As long as everything was stable, she was ready to close.

"Everything is holding steady. Did you finish with the robot leg?" he asked, meeting her eyes over the table and she could tell he was smiling even behind his mask.

"The robot bones are in," Callie confirmed, smiling herself as he leaned over to look at what she'd done. "What do you think?"

Owen nodded, light blue eyes scanning the work. "I think you're going to make a man walk, Dr. Torres. Are you ready to close?"

The Ortho surgeon rechecked every connection before she agreed, taking what felt like her first breath in hours only after they'd finished their work and she snapped off her gloves to the applause from her staff and their audience in the gallery, tearing off her mask to grin up at her friends in the observation deck. Teddy gave her a smile and Alex pointed over his shoulder, clearly wanting to go tell Arizona the good news. Callie gave him a nod of permission, laughing when he bolted.

"Good work, Callie," Owen congratulated her, one hand patting her shoulder as he passed her into the scrub room. She didn't speak, wasn't sure she could, just heaved a breath of relief and let her body relax. She'd done the best she could do, the best anyone could have done with Tim's situation. The work was by no means over, but it was on Tim's shoulders now. She could simply be his loving sister's girlfriend - with a professional investment in his recovery.

Swallowing hard, both hands pulled her scrub cap off, fingers unwinding the hair at the back of her neck and letting her head roll back on her neck as she relaxed for the first time in the weeks since Tim's arrival. She took her time scrubbing out, already smiling when she pushed the door open to find Arizona waiting for her in the hallway.

"You…" The blonde was breathless and she moved forward to kiss her without speaking, moaning when both of Callie's arms slid around her hips, holding her tight against the Ortho surgeon's body. The kiss was slow, full of lips and tongues, and Arizona held her girlfriend's face with both hands. "You did it," she whispered against her mouth.

"Pulled off the robot leg," Callie answered her, starting to feel almost giddy with her success.

"Do you know how amazing this is, Calliope? How many people you can help?" But lips were back on hers and she couldn't say more. Abruptly, Arizona giggled, pulling her head back. "The Chief is going to _love _you!" she gasped in realization, teasing. Dr. Webber had a well-known fondness for any surgeon that could increase his hospital's prestige. And this would certainly do it.

"Arizona, we're not even sure that it's going to work right," Callie reminded them both. "There could be complications, or…"

Arizona's head shook in denial. "Nope, no way, not listening," she interrupted. "This is you, my hardcore, rockstar girlfriend, and Tim, my heroic, cyborg brother. You built his awesome robot leg and he's going to use it to do whatever he wants." Abruptly, she looked straight into Callie's eyes, silently taking her in. This was the woman she loved. Brilliant, talented, gorgeous, and this woman loved her. It was miraculous. "I changed my mind…" she mused.

Callie's eyes widened slowly, thinking of only one thing that Arizona could have possibly changed her mind on. It was the only thing that would have made her more completely overwhelmed with joy than rocking her surgery, marrying Arizona, and she could practically feel it slipping away from her suddenly. "What?" Her voice was breathy and soft, not able to put words to the sudden fear.

Arizona could see it on her face, though. "No, Calliope, _no_!" She shook her head quickly. "I didn't change my mind about _that_," she continued quickly. "I meant that I changed my mind about this morning - about waiting for some dumb occasion to propose." Callie's face relaxed and she started to smile. "I love you more than anything, but I want commitments, and I want rings, and I want to marry you." The smile on Callie's lips grew in a heartbeat. "Marry me," Arizona repeated her desire, blue eyes wide and hopeful. She knew Callie loved her, had even said that morning that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, but no one anywhere had ever asked someone to marry them and _not_ been nervous.

Callie didn't hesitate. "Yes!" she said, still breathless.

"Oh my God, really?" Arizona couldn't help double-checking, even as she laughed happily.

"Yes," Callie said again, laughing herself. "Yes, I will marry you, Arizona." Her arms tightened around her lover, her _fiancée_, and leaned in for a long, slow, deep kiss. She was going to get to do this every day for the rest of her life. It made her smile against soft lips. Arizona's lips parted as she smiled too, teeth nipping gently at Callie's bottom lip. "So, we're engaged?" Callie checked, whispering. They were still in the OR hall, in the middle of the day, at their job. It was a miracle they hadn't been interrupted yet. Though it was possible that Karev was warning people to steer clear.

"We're engaged," confirmed Arizona happily. She took another kiss, her eyes falling closed. They were both still smiling languidly as the kiss ended. "Can I just - could we not -?" stammering, Arizona stopped herself and took a deep breath. "Do you mind if we don't tell my parents yet?" she requested. "Not that I don't want to," she clarified rapidly. "I just - I want to keep you for myself for a while."

Nodding, Callie leaned in to nuzzle against the blonde's cheek. "I know exactly what you mean. We don't have to tell anyone yet." She smiled against pale skin. "Are you going to tell Tim?" Watching them together since Tim's arrival, she knew that they were very close. Arizona had no secrets from her big brother.

She shook her head, though. "Not yet." Arizona let her head rock sideways, giving Callie's lips room to explore her neck. "Though it will be pretty obvious something's up if you give me a hickey."

Callie just licked a slow path up toward her ear. "I just rocked a major surgery," the Latina reminded her, the words a hot breath against her skin. "And if I _rock_ you after, it doesn't mean they can figure out we're engaged," she reasoned, Arizona gasping in reaction as traitorous fingers curled into dark hair and held her in her spot.

This was breaking all of their rules about public affection at work but she couldn't bring herself to care - if Callie wanted to celebrate in the hallway, she was going to go with it as long as it meant that Calliope's hands stayed on her. A warm, strong body pushed her gently into the wall, keeping her in place through contact. "I love you," the blonde gasped out as she surrendered willingly, Callie abandoning her neck to kiss her on the mouth.

"Come on," she said after a firm, passionate kiss. "We need to get out of this hallway." The glance Callie directed around the empty passage was positively promising and Arizona felt a shiver slide down her spine. She could only imagine what was in store for her once they got some privacy. "We are not having sex in this hospital, Arizona," Callie whispered, brown eyes playful. The blonde groaned in needy protest. "Your parents are waiting on us." A cute pouty grimace was her response.

"Fine," Arizona declared petulantly, grumpy. "But you owe me sex, woman."

"Your parents are staying with us," Callie reminded her, blue eyes glaring at her.

Arizona pointedly clarified, "You owe me a _lot_ of sex. I'll make sure Alex gets stuck here charting after my parents leave…"

Chuckling, Callie stepped back to release Arizona from the wall, pulling her along toward the doors. "We don't have to kick him out to have sex, Arizona. He has a TV in his room now."

"We'll get him noise-cancelling headphones," Arizona declared, fingers laced through Callie's. The Latina sent her a look and she shrugged, grinning and clearly pleased with her idea. "What? His birthday is coming up."

"Oh, so you don't celebrate your own birthday and refuse to let anyone else celebrate it, but you remember everybody else's birthdays?" Callie questioned, rolling her eyes.

The blonde head nodded, still grinning cheerfully. "Yes, Calliope. Alex and I have lived together for a long time and he's my friend. It would be rude if I didn't get him anything." She paused, expression becoming wicked. "Just like it would be rude to have loud, energetic, sex for days with my new fiancée and not give him a way to _not _hear us."

Callie couldn't fight a grin of her own. This was shaping up to be her best day ever. If only they could actually have some of this celebration sex Arizona was so eagerly planning. "You're right," she agreed dryly. "That would be rude." She bumped an elbow lightly against her girlfriend's ribs. "Let's at least get him the nice ones that will connect wirelessly to his TV."

"Oh, of course!" Arizona agreed, both of them laughing as they walked.

* * *

><p>Okay, this is part one of the chapter and I'll get the next part up this weekend sometime, but after that I'm starting a new job so I'm not sure what my schedule's going to be, but I'll do my best to keep the updates regular for y'all!<p> 


	26. Chapter 21 pt 2

Their resolve to not have celebratory sex in the hospital lasted exactly one minute after the elder Robbins had gone for dinner. Tim was sleeping again and they were both still on shift. They couldn't go home for another six hours.

Arizona didn't even say anything, just glanced sideways and caught Callie's eyes, letting a smirk take over her lips. Callie's gaze jumped across her face and downward and she bit her own bottom lip, clearly in the middle of a mental struggle. "Oh, come on," she said as she surrendered, reaching over and taking her hand, Arizona grinning at her as she let herself be towed out of her brother's room and toward the nearest on-call room.

The door was pushed closed behind the blonde's body, Callie's holding her pressed to the flat surface while they kissed passionately. One of Arizona's hands was in dark hair while the other scrambled blindly for the lock on the door. They might not be being subtle about it, but she was _not_ going to let anyone interrupt her celebration sex with her fiancée.

Callie's hands groped her ass and Arizona laughed in between deep, wild kisses. "I can't believe I'm the one who gets grief for loving your butt," she teased. She liked that Callie liked her butt. Strong hands gripped and lifted, prompting a short yelp that was cut off by another kiss.

Moving them off the door, Callie dumped her into the narrow twin bed, grateful at least that they'd stumbled into one of the rooms equipped without bunk beds. Neither one of them wanted to stop for a concussion. To say nothing of the embarrassment of needing a Neuro consult for a sex injury. Shepherd was a nice guy, stayed out of the hospital rumor mill as much as he could, but even he wasn't _that_ nice that they wanted him to know about this.

Eager hands tugged Arizona's scrub top (thankfully the only shirt she was wearing) over her head, discarding it carelessly to the floor while a hot mouth explored the newly uncovered territory. Arizona was quick to retaliate, pulling Callie's layers of scrub top and t-shirt up her back and throwing them to join hers on the floor. Neither one could stop a moan when skin touched skin, though Arizona's noise was more in protest when Callie caught her hands and guided them up to the bar at the head of the bed.

"No touching," the Latina ordered, already kissing down the blonde's neck.

"Yeah, screw that!" denied Arizona, hips jumping when Callie skated one hand smoothly beneath her drawstring waist. "Calliope!" she whined desperately. "This is not fair!" Callie was easily holding both of her wrists hostage against the metal bar with only one hand. Fingers slid into her underwear and she couldn't breathe to protest further. They slipped to where she needed them, but only played lightly for a few seconds before withdrawing.

"You locked the door, didn't you?" Callie lifted her head to ask.

"Of course I did, Calliope! Now let me go! I need to touch you!"

"Not yet," Callie stated, pulling her hand back to undo the strings at Arizona's waist. "I'm taking your pants off and I'm going to take you." Arizona could only swallow hard. "Because we're engaged, and I rocked my surgery, and I want to rock you too."

"You do," gasped Arizona, not above some desperate pleading if it meant she got to touch Callie. "You're unbelievable! I've never been with anyone that touches me like you do!"

Lifting her head, Callie gave her an amused smirk, brown eyes delighted but determined. "Sweet talking and sucking up are nice, but it's not going to work," she wrapped Arizona's fingers around the bar, gently forcing her to hold onto it, "Now, can I trust you not to let go, or do I have to hold you still?"

Arizona just blinked at her, not sure she'd ever been so turned on in her life. Suddenly she was desperate to find out what Callie wanted to do with her and she only dimly recognized that she was nodding, tightening her grip on the cool metal. Nodding might be all she had left. Speech might have completely deserted her. At the very least, there were no words left in her mind at this moment.

"That's my girl," Callie murmured as she released her lover's wrists, triumphant smirk on her lips. Both hands were immediately at Arizona's waist and she sat back on her heels as she peeled the pants and panties down her partner's (wife-to-be, her brain reminded her) impossibly long and fantastic legs. She had a _big_ thing for Arizona's legs. And at this moment, she kind of wanted them wrapped around her head.

The small bed meant that there wasn't room to stretch out, so she just scooted forward and scooped both hands under Arizona's ass, smirking when the subsequent lift drew a yelp of surprise from the blonde. She grasped the idea quickly enough though, looping one limb then the other over Callie's shoulders where she was sitting on her knees between her legs.

"Are you sure?" Arizona asked before Callie could lower her mouth to the scorching hot wetness between her thighs.

A challenging eyebrow answered her. "You think I'm going to drop you?" Callie smacked a quick kiss to the inside of her left thigh. "I'm not going to drop you. This can be your ab workout. You won't have to go to the gym," she teased.

Arizona laughed, blue eyes sparkling. She got to spend the rest of her life with this woman. It was unbelievable. "Calliope, you think I've had to go to the gym since I met you? You keep me plenty in shape, baby!"

Grinning back down at her, Callie gave the butt and hips she was cradling in her hands a squeeze and started licking down toward the other woman's center. A clearing throat stopped her with a sigh. "Arizona, if you don't want to…"

"No!" the blonde yelped loudly. "No, no stopping! I just…" She looked almost sheepish and curled one knee slowly. "I feel kind of dumb with _just_ socks on," she admitted, biting her lip.

Callie smirked but shifted her lover's lower half to one hand, balancing her carefully while her other hand efficiently stripped her of her socks and threw them toward the rest of her clothes. "Okay now? Because I want to get my tongue on you now."

Arizona was left speechless again, just nodding briskly while retightening her grip on the bar at her head. Her eyes locked on Callie's and neither looked away as Callie bent her head to her task, mouthing the blonde's clit. She took her time, licking and sucking and diving inside as she pleased, Arizona's hips unable to keep from jumping in her hands. The blonde was left bucking and helpless to the pleasure, the long, slow stretches of driving Arizona up gradually and then slowing down further to torment her.

Her back and abs were going to be sore, but it was going to be _so_ worth it, she decided. And Callie gave the best massages ever anyway. Her hands were incredible no matter where she was touching her. "Oh my God," she panted between gasps and whimpers and moans after an indeterminate amount of time, hanging onto the bar with everything she had. "Calliope, please, I love you, please," she pleaded, unable to take it anymore, needing to come more than air.

Giving in, Callie's suction tightened around her clit and she went over the edge with a strangled moan, clenching her teeth to keep quiet. No one would be surprised by what they were doing in here, but that didn't mean they wanted people to come looking for them. Callie drank up all of her with a smile on her mouth as she finished and pulled back, shifting so she could put Arizona's hips back on the bed.

Licking her lips in satisfaction, she stretched out along the narrow bed with her while the blonde caught her breath. "You doing okay?" Callie asked, undeniably smug. One hand stroked lightly across her lover's tight, clenching stomach. "I'll give you a massage when we get home," she promised.

"Oh my God," Arizona gasped again, prying her fingers from the bar gingerly and flexing her stiff fingers. "I'm so screwed if I have to operate today." Alex was good though. And he would be eager to lead and probably wouldn't think hard enough about it to tease her for why she was letting him solo.

Chuckling, Callie leaned over and kissed her softly. "Thank you," she whispered, trailing more kisses across her cheek.

Arizona cracked one eye open, laughing breathlessly. "Isn't that my line, Calliope?" She moaned when the hand on her stomach circled gently, soothing her tired muscles. Every touch from Callie set her on fire. "How are you? You okay?"

"I'm perfect," Callie answered her, smiling. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked, considerate and concerned. Trailing her eyes down the flushed flesh on display, she had to bite back another wide, pleased grin, rubbing her palm up and down Arizona's torso.

Arizona reached up with one fumbling hand to catch the back of her head and pull her down for a kiss. "Anytime you want to do that again, I'm completely up for it." She grinned, kissing her again. "You'll just do _that_ and I'll have awesome abs." Callie chuckled. There was no downside to that plan. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked hopefully.

The brunette arched an eyebrow, nuzzling under her jaw softly. "You don't have surgery?"

Waving that off, Arizona coaxed Callie's head up enough to kiss her again. "Nah, nothing Alex can't handle. I'd much rather stay in here with you." Callie's smile did nothing to calm her racing heart. "My fiancée…" she whispered happily.

Callie bit her lip, eyes shining. "We're getting married," she agreed, Arizona nodding against the tiny bed's single pillow. "So, like a wedding, and a reception, and rehearsal, and everything…" She'd been married before, but she'd never actually had a real wedding. She wasn't counting Vegas with no family or friends aground as a real wedding, even if the resultant marriage had been all too legal. Marrying Arizona might not be legal, but it was sure as hell going to be the rest of her life.

"Yeah," whispered Arizona, looking up at her. "That stuff's good, but you know the part I want?" Callie just raised one eyebrow curiously. "I want everything else, everything that comes after. I want to be your wife, and fall asleep beside you every night, and wake up all snuggled together every morning no matter how much space there is between us when we go to sleep." Callie smiled. She couldn't help it. No matter how much she sprawled and moved in her sleep, they inevitably woke up wrapped up in each other's arms. She loved it but wasn't really aware that Arizona had noticed, much less enjoyed it. "That's the stuff I'm excited for."

"We already do all that stuff, Arizona," Callie reminded her, licking her lips and still trailing fingers across her lover's bare midsection. "We live together." Realizing something, she blinked and lifted her head enough to be able to see Arizona's face clearly. "Wait, getting engaged, we're not going to stop sleeping together or something insane like that? I don't have to move into the spare room or something, do I?"

Arizona's blue eyes went wide, mouth dropping open. "Hell no! Are you crazy?" Unconsciously, her fingers tightened in the waist of the Ortho surgeon's scrub pants. Why the hell was Callie still wearing clothes anyway? And talking craziness like sleeping apart? "No! No sleeping in the other room and no pants! Lose them!" she ordered, realizing that she was talking about two separate issues, but not caring.

It was Callie's turn to blink but she smirked and sat up, shimmying her scrubs down her legs and kicking them off. "Better?" she asked, tangling their legs together.

"Yes," Arizona declared immediately, dimples framing her wide smile. She wiggled deeper into the bed, giggling when Callie slid an arm under her head. She loved being close like this to the woman she loved. "So we're not giving it up for however long it takes to plan a wedding," she stated definitively, her voice soft and sweet. A cute grimace appeared on her expression. "How long does it take to plan a wedding anyway? What kind of wedding do you want?"

Unable to resist, Callie leaned over to kiss between her eyes, feeling the furrow soften beneath her lips. "I want any kind of wedding that ends up with you at the other end of the aisle," a pause, "And no Elvises of any kind," she added with a smirk.

Arizona slapped her butt sharply in retaliation. "You think you're really funny, don't you?" she asked with a laugh. There was a time she never would have been able to imagine joking about Callie's previous marriage. But between that time and this one Callie had done nothing but demonstrate daily how committed she was to their relationship and to Arizona herself. And this marriage was going to last. She got forever with Calliope Torres. What had come before, whoever had come before, they were together, were getting married. Nothing else mattered.

"I _am_ funny," Callie declared with a laugh. "You mean that's not why you're marrying me?"

Arizona giggled herself, her hand on Callie's ass lingering and rubbing over her cotton panties. "It's on the list," she agreed, distracted. "But it's a very long list, Calliope." Arizona delivered another gentle pat on the butt. She could list reasons all day on why she loved Callie, why she needed her, why she wanted nothing more than to be her wife. Making a decision, Arizona shifted down off of the pillow, off of Callie's arm, catching her hands and moving them to the bar where Callie had held hers. "It's your turn to hold on now," she stated, smiling eagerly.

Callie's eyebrow arched. She freaking loved that eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" the brunette questioned.

"Yes," Arizona said, pulling Callie's leg over her once her lover's hands were gripping the bar and dragging the panties out of her way as she wiggled further down the bed. Callie's chest was too tempting and she leaned up on her elbows to trail kisses down her neck and breasts, tracing the cups of her bra with her tongue.

"Arizona…" Callie's voice was a throaty moan that succeeded in dragging her away, drawing her down her fiancée's body. She would do anything that voice said, anything to keep that tone in her voice. Callie helped by moving up on her knees as Arizona moved down the bed.

All she had to do was lift her head and she would have Callie in her mouth, on her tongue. But she paused, teasing the way she'd been teased. And if Callie thought she was getting off easily, she was going to be sorely mistaken. "Don't let go," she ordered, leaning her head back momentarily to meet wanting dark brown eyes.

Callie's hips rocked down to meet her tongue as her answer, Arizona humming against her and drawing a strangled, "Oh _fuck_," from Callie. Hands on the backs of her thighs kept her steady while Arizona made a slow feast out of her, pulling out all of the teasing stops to make her crazy. Callie felt her peak coming more than once only to have Arizona slow even further, withdrawing and keeping her on the edge. It took a little bit to get her there, but Callie wasn't above pleading, "Arizona, please, I need you, _please_…"

And Callie begging for her was undeniably hot and definitely did things for her, but they were still at work and Arizona couldn't take as long as she'd prefer. So she tightened her lips around the Latina's clit, steady increased suction sending her over the edge with a gasping moan, Callie's head hanging between her braced arms as Arizona ate her up. Teasing over, Arizona just did anything and everything she could think of to make Callie feel good.

Moving only became possible after she'd started coming down, Callie releasing the bar to slide herself down Arizona's body on the bed so she could kiss her, both of them breathing hard. Callie moaned at the taste of herself on the blonde's lips, hand on her face as she scattered kisses across forehead and cheeks and lips. "Mmh, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you," she gasped out between kisses, Arizona catching her lips and leaning up a little in pursuit. "Mngh, I love you, "she repeated as the kiss ended, each of them breathless.

"I love you," Arizona echoed, smiling sweetly at her. "I get to marry you," she whispered, almost not believing it. Callie just kissed her again, nestling her head next to Arizona's on the pillow, sliding her arm back across her waist and rubbing the still sore muscles in her stomach. The room fell quiet, probably the only room in the hospital that was, but it wasn't uncomfortable, just peaceful, each of them basking in their future.

A beep from her discarded pants broke the silence and made Arizona groan. "No…"

Callie leaned over her to reach the pants, pulling Arizona's pager up to see the display. "Sorry, babe, you've got to go."

"No, no, no, no," the blonde denied, groaning and covering her stomach protectively as she sat up. She definitely wouldn't need the gym this week.

Grimacing in sympathy, Callie leaned up on her side and watched her stand up, Arizona moving slowly. She was clearly sore and aching. "Arizona, I'm so sorry. I didn't…"

She leaned over the still prone woman to kiss her. "Don't apologize for that," she ordered, tugging her top back on. "I liked it. Do I need to apologize for what I did?" Callie just shot her a look. "Exactly. As long as you liked it, we're good. Okay?"

"Okay," Callie agreed, relieved. She sat up with a smile. "I swear I will give you the massage of your life when we get home."

"I'll be looking forward to that," Arizona said, shooting her a wink over her shoulder as she hopped into her sneakers and left, Callie flopping back onto the narrow bed and breathing deep. That woman was going to be her _wife. _Awesome.

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed part 2 of this chapter - I'm going to do my best to keep my every two day update schedule but I can't make promises since I don't know what my schedule's going to be like anymore or how exhausted I'm going to be when I get home every day... Wish me luck!<p> 


	27. Chapter 22

Arizona was breathing steadily as she jogged on the treadmill, watching Tim's slow, short steps between the parallel bars from across the physical therapy gym. Three months after his last surgery he was still in recovery, though having Callie as a housemate meant that he was free to be treated as an outpatient, only having to come in so his workouts could be monitored. He wasn't back on his feet yet, couldn't walk without crutches or supportive beams on either side of him, so he was in the gym every day, working to free himself from the wheelchair he was restrained to otherwise.

The elder Robbins had stayed in Seattle for the first month of his recovery, but once Tim was able to leave the hospital, he'd convinced them that they were free to go home. The house had been crowded with the entire Robbins family plus Callie and Alex.

Now it was just his sister tracking his recovery like a hawk and reporting back to their mother. The bones in both legs were healed but his months in bed had severely weakened his muscles. Getting it back was slow work. He could walk a little farther each day, though. And his balance was getting better too. He just had to deal with Arizona finding excuses to stop by the gym almost every day.

Today she was running. And she'd actually beaten him to the gym, greeting him with a chipper wave and a dimpled grin as he hobbled in on his crutches hours earlier.

Callie's entrance drew both of their eyes, Tim giving her a smile as he straightened up, turning his head into the towel that was hanging over his shoulder. "Hey, doc," he greeted her. "Give me a few more days and I'll be ready for our dancing date."

Callie rolled her eyes, familiar with his favorite way of teasing his sister. "I'm ready when you are." Arizona's treadmill beeped as she signaled it to slow down, her pace slowing to let herself cool off. "Hey, babe," Callie called across the room, crossing her arms over her chest. "You two have been here for a while. How about you guys take showers and we'll get some lunch?" she suggested, giving each of the Robbins siblings a smile. Her pager beeped on her hip and Arizona frowned. She'd had lighter hours since Tim was still recovering, but Callie had been working hard, the Chief eager to get more innovations out of her after the success of her titanium bones. Her next project was research to create artificial cartilage.

"Who is it?"

Callie looked up again, still smiling. "Oh, it's Teddy. You guys don't care if she eats with us, right?"

"Of course not," Arizona denied. "But we're not eating here, are we?" Her nose wrinkled in distaste at the thought of more hospital food. Callie thought it was an adorable look on her. Of course, she thought most any expression looked pretty good on Arizona's beautiful face.

"I'm on call, so we have to stick close, but we can go out." She looked at each of them, biting back a smile. "I'll go change and you two just come find me after you get cleaned up. Teddy said she would meet us at Joe's." Turning to go, she was surprised when two hands caught her before she could reach the doors. "Arizona!"

"I missed you this morning." Callie had been paged in before any of her housemates had woken up. Arizona stepped closer. "And you know I like when you roll your sleeves up like that," she mused, lowering her voice for her brother's sake.

Callie smirked, anticipating that reaction. It didn't matter that she rolled her sleeves up the same way every day, the affect it had on Arizona was unchanged. "Well, you're all sweaty," she teasingly countered.

"You like it," Arizona declared playfully, shaking her head as she moved to wrap her arms around her fiancée, Callie's hand on her chest keeping her at a distance. There was no denying that she didn't mind a sweaty Arizona at _all_, but they were going out to lunch with their friends and she'd already had a shower today.

"Meet me in the locker room after you get out of the shower," requested Callie before Arizona could grump at her. "I've got something for you."

A dimpled grin appeared on the blonde's face. "I know you do, babe," she agreed, not-so-secret meaning clear in her tone.

Brown eyes rolled. "Not _that_, Arizona." She took a quick kiss from suddenly pouty lips. "You'll like it, though. Trust me."

"Fine," her lover grumbled. "This better be a _damn_ good lunch, though." Even faking mad, she couldn't resist smacking Callie's butt as the Latina turned to leave, brown eyes giving her a flirtatious look over her shoulder and making her grin.

"Oh my God," Tim complained from behind her as the doors swung closed behind Callie.

Arizona spun quickly, worried that her brother had fallen, that something had gone wrong. "What? What happened?"

He just shrugged off her concern, limping back toward his crutches. "You need to marry that girl already, sis," he advised seriously, Arizona suddenly grateful that his back was to her since she was completely unable to hide the smile that crossed her face at the thought of their still secret engagement. "She's as nuts about you as you are about her and she already knows that you don't cook and you don't clean…"

"She cooks and cleans," Arizona pointed out cheerfully, unable to squelch the overwhelming joy that filled her every time she thought about spending the rest of her life with Calliope Torres. And not just because she cooked and cleaned.

Tim grunted as he pulled one of his crutches under his arm and leaned into the support it provided. "You don't have to tell me why _you_ should marry Callie, Arizona," he said with a laugh. "I'm just wondering why _she_ would marry _you_," he teased, smirking at his little sister.

Gaping at him, Arizona glared. "Hey! I'm a catch, Tim! I would have women lining up for me! I'm hot! But just because I didn't cook or clean when we were kids doesn't mean that I don't now! But I actually _do_ cook and clean for her! And Calliope loves me."

"So man up and propose to her, dummy," Tim ordered, Arizona biting her lip to keep her mouth closed. She'd never kept a secret from her brother for so long before. And this was a big one. It had been a busy three months, though.

"And what if I already did?" she asked, the question slipping out before she realized it. "Propose to her, I mean," she clarified when he turned on his unsteady legs to look at her.

His jaw was hanging open, a disbelieving smile growing on his mouth. "What? Arizona, you proposed? What did she say? I mean, if she didn't say yes then you two are the least awkward couple that _that_ has ever happened to. Like, in the world! When did this happen?"

The fairer Robbins was blushing brightly as she faced her brother, shoulders bobbing as she shrugged. "Um… actually, it was the day she put the robot bones in there." She gestured toward his leg, his eyes lingering on her.

"And you didn't tell me?"

"You've had a busy few months, Timmy," Arizona countered. "And Mom and Dad were around all the time…"

He laughed at the realization. "Oooh! Mom's gonna _kill_ you!" he said, delighted. "She could have been helping you plan for _months_!" He couldn't help laughing, couldn't stop himself.

"This is not - no!" Arizona shook her head. "I just wanted, I wanted to keep her to myself for a while," she said, earnest. "She's like…" she paused for a breath, her eyes shining, "She's a miracle, Tim." His smile went soft as he observed his sister, really in love, the big love, the important one, for the first time in their lives. It lit her up even more than she was normally. "She's my miracle and I just wanted to keep her just for me, just for a little while."

Chuckling, he jerked his head to draw her in. "She makes you sappy. I like it," he declared, refraining from teasing her further. "It's sweet," he said, dropping one crutch to wrap his arm over her shoulders and kissing her temple. "I'm happy for you, sis." She smiled and he added, "I'm kind of shocked that you managed to hide it from me for this long, though."

"I wasn't trying to hide it," Arizona sighed, leaning against his chest and wrapping both arms around her big brother. "But I'm kind of stunned I lasted this long, too," she laughed.

"Is Callie going to be mad you finally cracked?" asked Tim, leaning his head briefly against his sister's sweaty hair.

"No, she's more surprised every day I _haven't_ told you."

He chuckled, wrinkling his nose. "Well, awesome. But you kind of stink, and I kind of stink, and your girl's waiting on us, and I'm hungry, so let's get moving," he suggested kindly. "Thanks for finally telling me."

Arizona grinned, stepping back after she made sure his crutch was back in place. "Just make sure you're ready to stand up with me, alright?"

"You got it," he confirmed, matching her grin with his own. He shoved lightly at her shoulder. "Now go."

Arizona was practically skipping as she found Callie in the attending's locker room, her hair still damp from her shower. "I told Timothy," she announced cheerfully as she joined her girlfriend at her locker, leaning in to drop a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, babe, that's great!" Callie laughed. "I guess the grin means he's happy for us, right? I hope?"

"Of course he's happy for us, Calliope!" said Arizona, lacing their fingers and squeezing her hand. "Everybody's going to be happy for us!" She found her purse in her locker. "Whenever we tell everyone else."

Callie snapped her fingers, dropping her hand to root through her own locker. "That reminds me. I've got something for you." Arizona's eyes went wide as she saw the jewelry case in Callie's hand. Her mouth dropped open when Callie offered it to her. "Open it," the Latina coaxed, curling her arms around herself as she watched, smile on her lips.

Arizona dimly realized that her fingers were trembling as she took the box, too big for a ring but still jewelry. "What… Calliope…"

"Come on, just open it," Callie requested, starting to feel nervous. She wasn't normally one for big, romantic gestures, but with Arizona, she wanted to make the effort. Because Arizona was constantly surprising her, and amazing her, and she wanted to do the same for her. "If you think it's dumb, you don't have to wear it. It won't hurt my-"

Arizona surged forward to cut her off with a kiss, free hand sliding across the back of Callie's neck to hold her into the embrace. "Calliope, anything you give me, I'm going to love," she promised, slipping her thumbnail into the crease and flipping the box open. The sight of what she found inside made her smile grow, a laugh bursting free completely beyond her control. It was just unreal. A gold chain held an artfully lopsided gold heart pendant. It was beautiful, but Arizona couldn't help laughing.

Callie frowned, trying to keep her shoulders from slumping. She'd hoped Arizona would like the necklace but she really hadn't expected her gift to get laughed at. "If you don't like it…" she started, struggling to keep the disappointment from her tone. If this was how part one of her present was received, she was going to need to seriously reevaluate part two…

Realizing her mistake, Arizona was quick to hush her with another kiss. "Calliope Torres, I love it," she said earnestly. "It's beautiful and I completely love it!"

Still frowning, the brunette sighed. "Then why are you _still_ laughing?" she questioned, brows furrowing.

Arizona just kissed her again, sucking lightly on her bottom lip. "Mmh, babe, with these lips, you pouting is going to work every _single_ time," she confessed, words scattered between sucking kisses.

It got a smile. "Good to know. But Arizona, if you don't like the necklace…" One hand reached to take the box back from her but Arizona snatched it away.

"You're not taking my necklace back!" she denied, hiding it behind her back. "I love it, Calliope!"

"Then why did you laugh at it?" questioned Callie, frustrated by the conflicting reactions from her fiancée. At the reminder, the blonde started laughing again. Callie grabbed for the box again, but Arizona held it away from her. "Arizona!"

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to laugh, really," Arizona apologized even as she kept giggling. "Do you forgive me?" she requested, pecking kisses to Callie's lips lightly. "Please?"

Callie leaned away from her, still hurt. "Are you going to tell me why you're _still_ laughing?"

Dutifully, Arizona attempted to stop giggling. "Will you put my necklace on for me first?"

"Not yet," Callie denied her. "It might be going back…"

"No, it is _not_, Calliope!" Arizona countered, stuffing the box down the front of her shirt in an attempt to hide it.

Callie just scoffed, eyes rolling. "Because I won't reach down there?" she challenged. "I'm very familiar with what belongs in your bra, Arizona. I think I can find it."

"You're not taking my necklace back!" yelped the blonde. "Just let me explain, okay? You'll laugh too, I promise!" Callie's expression didn't change and Arizona stepped backward slowly. "Well, I _hope_ you'll laugh, babe. Just trust me, okay?" Turning, she searched through her own locker rapidly, offering Callie the results of her search - a jewelry case that was identical to the one currently hiding in her shirt. "Open it," she requested happily.

Callie's frown smoothed away as she opened the box, gasping as she found a necklace inside that was the silver twin of the one she'd just given Arizona. "Oh…"

"Right, _oh_," Arizona mocked lightly, fishing her own jewelry case out of her shirt. "We got each other the same necklaces. Of course, I was _trying_ to keep yours for your birthday, but that's spoiled now," she teased, smiling as Callie's eyes found hers. "Am I forgiven?"

Callie nodded eagerly, quickly kissing her. "Of course!"

"Will you please put my necklace on now?" Arizona requested, smiling patiently as she took the silver necklace from Callie and latched it around her neck, watching as the pendant settled right at the top of her cleavage. It looked just as perfect as she thought it would. And, clearly, they both had good taste.

"Nope," Callie answered, cheerful now that she'd been reassured.

It took a second for the denial to sink in and Arizona's face slacked. "Wait, what, why?" she protested. "Would I have gotten you the same necklace if I didn't like it, Calliope?"

"I'm going to give it to you, Arizona," the brunette promised quickly. "Just…" This was the big one. "I have something else for you. It could go on the chain…"

Blue eyes blinked in clear surprise. "What? You got me something else? Did I miss our anniversary or something?"

Callie swallowed hard, one hand fidgeting with her new necklace while the other pulled another jewelry case from the pocket of her leather jacket. This one was smaller and Arizona didn't realize that she was holding her breath until the burning need for air made her gasp. "I didn't figure you'd wear it on your finger until after we told people, but I wanted you to have it, and…" She paused as Arizona ripped the box open as she realized what it contained. "Do you like it?" she asked hesitantly.

The band was simple, white gold instead of yellow like the necklace, with progressively smaller diamonds radiating down the band on either side of the central stone. It was reflected in blue eyes as Arizona looked up from the ring. "Calliope…"

"I don't know if you want to wear engagement rings at all," Callie started to explain, but Arizona cut her off.

"I absolutely want to wear your ring, Calliope!"

Laughing, Callie opened the chain of Arizona's necklace. "Well, you don't have to wear it yet if you want to wait to tell people we're engaged. I know you just told your brother, so I get it if you want to talk to your parents before we tell Teddy or Alex or Bailey." She offered the necklace, but Arizona was hesitant to hand over her ring.

"Can I wear it just for a second?" she asked, rolling it lightly between her thumb and forefinger, sending the spots of reflected light dancing across her face.

"Of course you can, Arizona. It's _your_ ring," Callie reminded her with a laugh. She was clearly surprised when the blonde promptly handed it to her. "You want me to put it on for you?" She was touched by the unexpected gesture. She wanted nothing more than to put a ring on Arizona's finger and know that it would be there for the rest of their lives. "Okay."

Arizona stepped closer to her, both of them watching their hands in between them, Callie's fingers singling out Arizona's left ring finger. It slid smoothly into place, perfectly sized. "It's beautiful," Arizona whispered. "Thank you."

"Hey, we're engaged. You should have an engagement ring."

"Well, I should have known better than trying to plan an occasion to give you your ring. It seems like nothing at all about our engagement is going to be planned, so your ring is at home," Arizona said, still admiring the ring on her finger. "And I'm not taking this off," she declared suddenly. "I'm engaged, this is my ring, I'm not wearing it on my necklace."

Callie's warm voice was amused. "Okay," she agreed softly, slipping the necklace under Arizona's ducked chin and clasping it behind her neck, chain resting over her hair. "How's that?"

Arizona looked down to catch a glimpse of the gold charm against her chest, smiling as she looked back up to find Callie's gaze. "It's awesome, Calliope." She abruptly giggled, giddy and eager. "Come on, let's go tell everybody we're getting married."

Callie arched an amused eyebrow at her. "Everybody?"

"Well, at least Teddy! She's eating lunch with us so it's not even going out of the way to find her!" Arizona reasoned, pulling Callie along by the hand toward the elevator. It was only as the doors started to slide closed in front of them that she realized she hadn't properly kissed her fiancée since she'd put a ring on her finger. "I can't believe I almost forgot that!"

Confused, the brunette frowned. "What did you forget?" She knew they had their phones, she could hear Arizona's buzzing in her pocket, and her keys were in her purse. "Do we need to-"

Words were cut off by Arizona's lips on hers, fingers winding into her hair. "This," the blonde whispered before the next slow kiss. "I almost forgot this."

Humming lightly into the languid, slow kisses, Callie couldn't help smiling against her lover's lips. "Mmh, yeah, that would have been bad. Very bad."

The chime of the elevator separated them, Arizona clearly pleased and proud of the dazed, hazy expression on Callie's face. She _loved_ that she could have this affect on Callie, such a beautiful, amazing woman herself, and she could make her completely lose her mind. It was intoxicating, having that kind of connection with someone. And Callie had the exact same affect on her.

"I wish we had time to go home and get your ring," the blonde mused as they exited the elevator and crossed the lobby.

"Well, we would if I still lived across the street," Callie reminded her with a grin.

Arizona shook her head in immediate denial. "No, I don't like that."

"I can wait," said Callie easily. "And we've made Tim and Teddy wait long enough on us, anyway."

They crossed the street, the air heavy and damp, the scent of rain on the breeze. They'd be lucky to get back after lunch without getting rained on. Arizona gallantly held the door to Joe's for Callie, grinning as the Latina rolled her eyes. And then she ran smack into her fiancée's back as Callie froze right inside.

"What-?" She edged around her frozen girlfriend. "What the _hell_?"

Tim just smiled at his sister, Teddy blushing brightly and wiping her mouth as she stared at the pair. "Hey guys," he greeted them cheerfully.

"Wha-why-I-okay, we're getting married, but that clearly isn't the surprise of the day," Arizona said, stammering as she tried to think clearly. Because she was _pretty_ sure she'd just seen her brother kissing her best friend, but that couldn't be right, could it? Because that was crazy. They'd started eating lunch in Tim's room while he was in the hospital, and she knew Teddy spent a lot of time at their house, but…

"Wait, you're getting _married_?" Teddy demanded, shooting up from her seat.

Callie just laughed, one hand on her shoulder forcing Arizona gently into a seat at the table. "Clearly, we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

><p>First day of the new job went well, chapter for y'all... :) I'm not off until Friday, so the next one will be up then for sure, but if I have time before that, I'll get the next one up sooner than that.<p> 


	28. Chapter 23

Arizona grumbled and pulled the other pillow over her head, engulfing herself in Callie's scent on the cover as her fiancée passed the bed again, swatting her butt. "Calliope, _why_?"

"Because you're going to want to come," Callie said, voice entirely too cheerful for that time of the morning. It wasn't actually early, but it was their day off, their first joint day off in _weeks_ and Arizona could admit that her personal judgment of what was 'early' was on a sliding scale on their days off.

Groaning and holding the pillow tighter against her head, the blonde flopped onto her stomach. "I really think I'd rather stay here," she argued sullenly. "It's warm in here! And it's raining outside!"

Callie glanced out the window, not surprised to see rain drops on the glass. "How could you know that? You haven't even gotten out of bed and your head is under a pillow!"

"I just know it," Arizona said, the arm that wasn't holding the pillow to her head searching blindly for the covers that weren't on her already. If Callie wasn't going to use them, she might as well be extra warm if she couldn't coax her fiancée back into bed to do it for her. "I'm _that_ good, Calliope. Come back to bed and I'll remind you…"

Abruptly, the bed shifted and Callie's knees were on either side of her hips, the weight of her settling on the blonde's butt. Holy shit, that worked? Callie leaned forward, her chest pressing lightly against the prone woman's back. Strong hands pulled the pillow out of her way and Arizona reached back with her now free hand to tangle her fingers in long waves of dark hair.

"Arizona…" Callie's warm, sexy voice against her ear sent a tremor through Arizona's body, heat rushing in to settle low in her stomach. Full lips dragged across her skin, puckering up to kiss behind her ear. "I guess I just have to leave you here while I go shop for a new car, then," she whispered, sliding off of her partner and sitting down on the side of the bed to pull on her shoes.

Since Arizona's accident nine months before they'd been sharing her Jeep, but Callie was hoping shopping for a replacement car would be something kind of fun they could do together. Mostly she figured that Arizona would be a decent haggler and she knew her partner had a thing for cars.

And sure enough, a mussed blonde head lifted from the pillows, already grumbling. "That's not fair, Calliope!" Arizona complained as she turned over and sat up. "I just want to stay in bed, but you're trying to tempt me out of it with pretty, pretty cars, and you _in_ a pretty, pretty car…"

Callie just shrugged, leaning over to lace her sneakers. "You don't have to come, sweetheart. I can just surprise you with whatever I get when I get home."

Still complaining, the normally perky doctor rolled out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom. "No, give me twenty minutes." She paused in the bathroom door and added over her shoulder, "And we're at least test driving a Mustang!"

That was a mental image Callie couldn't deny and she agreed hoarsely, "Sure thing, babe." Leaving grumpy Arizona to her shower, she left the bedroom and went downstairs. It wasn't early, but she was still surprised to find Teddy in the kitchen. It grew less surprising as she noticed her friend's outfit. Clearing her throat made the heart surgeon jump like she'd been shocked.

"Callie! Jeez, you scared the shit out of me!"

The brunette just smirked, joining her friend at the coffeemaker. "You know, if you're trying to keep Arizona from finding out that you're sleeping here in her brother's bed, maybe pants would be good," she advised, enjoying herself immensely.

Teddy's eyes went impossibly wider. "She doesn't know already?" She and Tim had been casually seeing each other for a while even before Arizona had seen them kissing at Joe's, but since then the blonde had been blissfully ignorant about any steps forward in her brother's relationship with her best friend. Finding her in the kitchen in one of Tim's t-shirts and a pair of panties was probably not how they wanted to break the news to her.

"Not that I know of," Callie informed her, shrugging. "I figure I would have heard _something_ about it if she knew, though," she reasoned.

"Seriously," mused Teddy, glancing down at herself and quickly putting her coffee mug down on the counter. "Shit, I need pants!" She bolted without a backward glance, leaving Callie sipping her coffee with an amused smile.

The shower had helped turn Arizona's mood around and she was smiling as she joined Callie in the kitchen. Her smile grew further when she was presented with a stack of pancakes and a kiss. "At least you make it worth getting out of bed," she commented cheerfully as she took her plate back to the table. She speared her first bite eagerly. "So, what kind of car are we looking for?"

"We?" Callie questioned jokingly over her shoulder. "Is something wrong with your Jeep?"

"We're getting married," Arizona answered the teasing. "What's yours is mine, baby. And you dragged me out of bed for this! I'm getting a say!"

Teddy's return to the kitchen, complete with a long peek around the banister to make sure Arizona wasn't going to see her, and opening and closing the front door to complete the ruse that she'd just arrived, was greeted by a smirk from Callie and a friendly smile from Arizona.

"Good morning, Teddy," Callie said, voice overly cheerful. "Want some pancakes?"

"I do!" Tim called loudly from the stairwell, speaking over any answer Teddy might have made. "Me, me, me!"

Callie rolled her eyes fondly and sent her fiancée a look. "No surprise _you two_ are related." Raising her voice, she answered him, "You got it!"

Arizona shot a look back at her, hand that wasn't shoveling pancakes into her mouth reaching out to pinch Callie's ass. "You're the one marrying me."

"She could marry me instead," Tim suggested as he swung into the room on his crutches, getting simultaneous glares from Arizona and Teddy in response.

Callie just laughed. "Sorry, brother." She slid another short stack of pancakes onto a plate and served them. She pecked his cheek lightly and winked across the table at Arizona. "We both know that's not going to happen."

"I know you're doing better on your robot leg, but I _will_ knock you off of it," Arizona informed him sweetly, emphasizing her warning with a forkful of breakfast poking in his direction. "And your new _sister_ will have to fix it for you."

He just glared narrowly at her as Callie laughed. "You had to go right to _that_, didn't you?"

Teddy hid a snort behind a hand, Arizona proudly smirking at her brother. "She's going to be your sister, Tim. Get used to it." She was already impatient for it to happen, now that her brother was out of the woods and everything felt stable, marrying Callie was becoming all she could think about. And it wasn't even the wedding - at least not the ceremony itself - she wanted the marriage part. She wanted to be Calliope Torres' wife. She wanted to know that she was going to bed beside her every night and waking up next her every morning. She wanted to introduce Callie to someone and say the word. "She's going to be my wife," she breathed, smile softening as she looked across the kitchen at Callie.

Tim was genuinely happy for his sister, happy for them both, but it didn't stop him from gagging jokingly. "I'm trying to eat here!"

"Dude, he's right!" Alex agreed as he joined the group at the table, leaning over to steal pancakes of his own. "Between the four of you, there's _way _too much mushy stuff going on around here lately." Tim and Teddy's eyes went wide in a second, looking at each other and then glaring at Alex while Callie looked at Arizona for a reaction. "And, dude," Karev added, bumping Tim with an elbow as he reached over him for the carton of orange juice, "you've got _no_ room to rag on them for being sickening. The stuff I hear…"

"Shut it, Karev," Teddy ordered sharply. Arizona looked up at her friend's tone, chewing a fresh bite of her pancakes. "Arizona…"

"Sis…"

Swallowing her bite, Arizona gave them both an amused look, catching Alex's matching smile behind her brother's back. "What? You guys think I don't know?" she questioned, chuckling. "Please…" She didn't appeared fussed in the slightest, sipping on her juice then holding her cup out for Alex to refill. "Teddy, you're louder than I would have thought. If I thought about you doing _that_, which I don't."

Callie laughed, Tim shaking his head at his sister while she just cut another bite. "So, what? You've known this whole time?"

Arizona nodded, surprised he'd thought otherwise. "Um, yes?"

"And you don't care?" Teddy asked, confused.

"Um, no?" Arizona tried, not sure what she was expected to say. Instead she laughed. "Guys, I'm happy," she said simply, dimpled smile firmly in place. "I'm getting married to the best girl in the world." Callie grinned, leaning back against the kitchen counter with her arms curled around herself. "So, for you, two people that I love, I just want you two to be even half as happy as we are." She shrugged, giving them each a smile. "So, if you're happy with each other, then I'm happy for you," she declared, clear affection in her voice drawing Callie to her, the Ortho surgeon wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

There was a moment of quiet, the other couple considering that. "Wow," Teddy finally said, still appearing a bit stunned.

"What?" Arizona asked with a laugh. "Do you want me to do the speech or something? Break his heart, I'll break your legs?" She smirked, warming up to her subject. "Or you," she shifted her gaze to her brother, "Hurt her and I'll use your robot leg to drag you behind my car with a big magnet?"

Tim was clearly startled by his sister's creativity in planning his punishment. His throat bobbed when he swallowed and one hand tousled his hair, longer since he'd been in Seattle. "Callie, can she…?"

"You leg is not magnetic," she assured him, rolling her eyes. "That's a pretty inventive punishment, though, baby."

"Teddy's my best friend," Arizona justified, smiling. She really looked much too sweet and friendly to be saying stuff like that. "But I don't have a big magnet anyway."

Callie shook her head, catching Karev's smirk in the corner of her eye as he used the conversational distraction to eat the last of the bacon from the platter. "Okay, how about this? Whatever happens, Arizona's neutral?" she suggested. "She loves you both, it's not fair to put her in the middle of anything."

Teddy and Timothy exchanged looks, both nodding quickly. "Oh, yeah, of course!"

"And that includes any sex stories!" Arizona added, slapping one hand to the table to make sure she had everyone's attention. "I do not need or want to know anything!"

"Thank God," Alex agreed under his breath. "We all know _way _too much about each other living in this house!" he threw in his two cents.

"You don't have to live here, Karev," Arizona shot back teasingly. She would never kick Alex out. Unless, of course, he breathed wrong around Callie. The first sign he was making a move for Callie, that boy was going to be out on his ass.

"You ready to go, babe?" Callie checked, cutting in to keep the pair from arguing the way they were both so secretly fond of doing with each other.

Leaning her head back into her lover's shoulder, Arizona smiled. "Did you get breakfast, too?"

Callie laughed as she answered, lips pecking nibbling kisses down the blonde's neck. "Sure did."

"Let's go find some new wheels, then!" Arizona was cheerful and chipper now that she'd had breakfast (and possibly the neck kisses had had something to do with it as well) and she hopped to her feet and laced her fingers through Callie's.

Tim let out a surprised whistle, impressed. "You're taking her to shop for cars with you?"

"Yeah." Callie shrugged easily, smiling fondly at her fiancée. "She insists on driving my car anyway. Might as well get something else we both like."

"Ooh, can we get another classic?" Arizona eagerly asked, hopping on her toes in her excitement.

Callie's smile grew into a grin. "We can look at whatever you want. I called a few places that do restorations so we can see what's out there."

"Yay!" Arizona cheered enthusiastically, pulling Callie toward the door with her.

"Good luck, Callie!" Tim called after them.

The first car lot they stopped at didn't have much that interested them, but Arizona was practically drooling over a 1967 Mustang fastback at the second place. She could imagine driving it, but even better was the mental image of Callie behind the wheel. "I know it's completely impractical, but can we at least drive it?" she requested eagerly, bouncing on her toes.

"Yeah, sure." Callie chuckled, amused. "It's not like the T-bird was extremely practical either, babe." She slung an arm around Arizona's shoulders to pull her in and plant a kiss against the side of her head. "It kept you alive though, I guess that's all I could ask for."

Arizona abruptly sighed, wistful. "I miss the T-bird."

"I know you do, sweetheart. I'm sorry." As she'd thought, the loss of her classic Thunderbird continued to upset Arizona more than it had ever upset her. Of course, she was still just happy that the accident hadn't ended up worse than it had. She could lose a car, but not Arizona.

"I guess Mustangs are pretty cool, though," acknowledged the blonde, perking back up.

Callie gallantly opened the door for her fiancée, smirking. "Well, it's not like we're going to need to put car seats in the back anytime soon. We could go for impractical again if you really like it," Callie reasoned, missing Arizona's suddenly ungraceful flop into the seat.

"Car seats?" she questioned with a frown, stuck on that comment. "Like for babies?"

Callie laughed, nodding. "Yeah, of course for babies." She thought nothing of the suddenly slack expression on her partner's face, Arizona shaking it off by the time Callie was sliding into the passenger seat. There was a sudden cold knot in her chest though. Was it really possible that they'd gotten this far without discussing such a basic, fundamental life decision like having children?

Abruptly it felt like her stomach was trying to claw its way out of her body. Damn it.

* * *

><p>*maniacal laugh* *maniacal laugh* Kidding, I'm not really evil, I just watched the Muppets the other day and I loved that part :P<p> 


	29. Chapter 24

Tim Robbins couldn't have been more surprised when his bedroom door, well really his sister's guest bedroom door, burst open, Arizona storming in with her hand protectively covering her eyes. "Tim? Teddy?"

"Um, she's at work," Tim answered her, confused. "What's wrong?" She dropped her hand and he put his video game to the side as he saw her expression, eyes wild and panicked. "What happened? Is Callie okay?"

"She's perfect," Arizona gasped out, pushing the door closed behind her and starting to pace.

"Then what the hell is wrong with you? You look like someone just slapped you," he said, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed.

"She's perfect," repeated the blonde, only stopping when her brother took her wrist and pulled her to sit beside him.

"Now, I love Callie, but no one is perfect, Arizona. Just breathe and talk to me," he requested patiently. "What is Callie's apparently huge flaw that you _just_ found out about four months into being engaged?"

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deliberate deep breath. It wasn't that Callie had a flaw, they just had different things that they wanted from life. And apparently one of the things Callie wanted was a baby. The problem with that was that Arizona had never wanted one. As a matter of fact, she'd been pretty adamant about _never_ having a baby. But somehow it had never come up before. So Callie's offhand comment about car seats had hit her like a punch to the chest.

"Come on, sis - how bad could it be?"

Bad, her mind filled in the answer. "She wants kids, Tim."

He was very familiar with his sister's determination to never have children, but he (or their mother) had never understood it. "Okay, well, you guys'll have cute kids," he said, knowing that it would get Arizona's eyes opened. And glaring at him.

"Tim! This isn't funny!"

"Arizona, have you even talked to her about this?" She just narrowed her eyes at him further and Tim shook his head. "Maybe you can get _her_ to understand your 'no kids' thing."

Arizona's blue eyes rolled. She knew her family didn't understand her aversion to having kids. "Knock up Teddy and I'll simultaneously kill you and be grateful you got Mom off my back about grandkids," she shot back sharply, her temper already frayed. That particular wheedling had come more and more often from her mother since her parents had met Callie, but she'd dismissed it every time, just like always.

He laughed shortly, watching his sister's expression closely. "I know you don't want kids, but have you even thought about doing it with Callie?" Arizona's lip twitched. "I know you, Arizona. You've never felt for anyone the way you do about her. I mean, you've never wanted to marry anyone either."

She sighed, shoulders slumping. "Tim…"

"If she really wants this, are you willing to lose her over it?"

He cut to the heart of the dilemma with a single question. Was this something she could let go of, or could she let Callie go? The thought was stifling. She could almost feel her heart stop. Life without Callie… it was unthinkable. Oh God. But a baby, a squalling, screaming, smelly little baby, one that could end up in her Peds ward…

"Don't do this to yourself," Tim advised, interrupting her heartrending musings. "Don't do this to Callie either. _Talk_ to her." Arizona swallowed hard, nodding her head as she struggled to control her sudden anxiety. Her feet were unsteady as she stood up. "But, sis," he called her back as she reached for the doorknob, "if you don't even try to find a way through this, if you lose her because you're scared of something that you would absolutely be amazing at, you're going to regret it every day for the rest of your life."

"You think I don't know that?" Arizona asked, looking over her shoulder at him. "Tim, I love her. I love everything about her."

"Then think about this," Tim suggested. "Think about her coming into the Peds floor with a baby - her baby. Dark brown eyes and that black hair, Callie's face and everything. Think about how much that would hurt you." Seeing Callie like that, her child hurt, would destroy her. "But it's not your baby. She's not your wife, maybe you aren't even friends anymore. You're just her baby's doctor." His face was sympathetic but serious. "Can you live with that? Because that's your best case scenario if you let this break you two up."

Arizona sighed, shaking her head. "Tim, don't you think I'd do anything to stay with Callie? I love her! I just don't know - kids isn't something I've ever wanted. You know that."

"Just don't let her get away without fighting for her," advised Tim seriously. "Even if you're fighting yourself, okay?"

She wanted to argue with him, but she knew that he was right. If Callie seriously wanted children, she had a lot of arguing with herself to do. She couldn't be the one who kept Callie from having what she really wanted, but could she really make herself walk away from the love of her life, her future?

Callie was straightening up in the kitchen when Arizona came down the stairs, the brunette crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the counter when she turned to face her fiancée. "Are you going to talk to me now?" she asked, simultaneously frustrated and concerned.

Arizona just looked guilty. "You know?"

"I know something's bothering you," Callie said. "You covered pretty well, but you barely said anything after we left that second lot. And we got home and you ran straight upstairs to talk to Tim and Teddy."

"Just Tim. Teddy's at work," Arizona corrected her sheepishly.

Callie asked, "Well, are you going to tell me what's going on?" She sighed. "I mean, I had to have said something, right? What did I say?" Arizona just took a deep breath. "Arizona, please talk to me," she pleaded.

She could feel Callie's eyes on her, the brown gaze that was capable of swallowing her whole. "Calliope…"

"Please don't 'Calliope' me," requested Callie tiredly. "Just talk to me. Tell me what's going on." Still Arizona hesitated. "Are you breaking up with me?"

It broke her heart to even ask the question, but it got Arizona's head up, blue eyes wide. "No!" Taking a breath, she continued, feeling it shred her heart as well, "I don't want to, at least."

Callie closed her eyes, unconsciously unfolding her arms to hold onto the countertop. She couldn't stay standing otherwise. Her life was ending and she didn't even know why.

"I don't want kids, Calliope," Arizona said, voice soft and clearly hesitant. "I never have." Callie didn't look up. "And you said car seats earlier…"

"I _do _want kids," Callie confirmed in a whisper. "That's what this is about?" She sounded exasperated and Arizona blinked, surprised.

"You don't think that's significant?" the blonde asked, her own frustration with the situation they found themselves in showing in her tone.

Callie's arms were crossed again. "Okay, it's significant, but I'm not losing you over it, Arizona, so we'll work it out!" Despite her comforting, confident sounding words, her voice was short and sharp.

"Work it out?" Arizona demanded, her own volume rising. "How can we possibly work this out?"

"Do you want me to leave? Are we done?" countered Callie, her chest feeling tight. Before Arizona could answer, the pager on the counter behind them went off, buzzing and beeping. Callie retrieved it with a growl of frustration. "It's a 911. I've got to go." Without speaking further, she left the kitchen, Arizona left confused, frustrated, and scared behind her.

Coming home hours later, Callie was braced for a fight, had been preparing herself mentally all afternoon for a knock down, drag out, screaming match. Because she wasn't going to let Arizona walk away from her, from _them_. And she wanted kids, but the thought of doing it with someone else, raising children, being a family with someone who wasn't Arizona… it made her chest ache.

Nearly midnight, the house was dark, the driveway empty. It hurt to think that Arizona had left instead of staying to talk to her, and she walked up to the door feeling heavy. Opening the door revealed a quiet darkness and she bypassed the living room and kitchen and went straight upstairs, not noticing the lamplight in her own bedroom until she was already there.

Arizona was on her back in the bed and dressed for sleep, her arms crossed over her eyes, but her breathing was steady. Unsure if she was asleep (or if she even wanted to wake her up if she was), Callie dropped her bag silently to the carpet and toed off her shoes just inside the door. Normally she would be the first to put them away, but she left them where they were and moved as quietly as she could around the bed and toward the sanctuary of the bathroom.

Closing the door behind her, Callie let out a deep breath, not sure how she felt about anything anymore. Arizona was still here, hadn't run from her, from their home, from the life they were building together. But now, with this hanging over them, where the hell were they going? What were they moving towards? And how the hell could they seriously consider staying together if it would only lead to a life of resentment and unfulfilled longing?

Because she wanted to have a baby. It had always been something she'd wanted, something she'd planned on. And she desperately wanted Arizona in that plan. She wanted the life she'd been imagining for them long before they'd ever said the word marriage. She wanted forever with Arizona, and she wanted their children. That wasn't wrong. Actually, them together with their children was the most _right_ thing she could imagine.

But Arizona didn't share than vision, apparently. And she didn't know how to fix it, make it okay. Because, unfortunately, neither one of them was wrong. It didn't make sense to her personally, but not wanting children was a perfectly valid decision. And Arizona wasn't some trauma case - she was a rational, responsible, grown woman. And this wouldn't be something she'd just decided arbitrarily.

They just had to figure out how to deal with their mutual desires without it destroying their relationship, which was not an easy thing and seemed likely to be easier said than done.

Flipping on the water in the shower, Callie let it warm up as she slipped out of her clothes, leaving them all where they fell without bothering to toss them into the laundry. The first blast of hot water was refreshing and she bowed her head into it, one hand adjusting the temperature gradually. There was no doubt in her mind that Arizona Robbins would be an amazing mother. And she wanted to see that. But Arizona had to want it too or it was meaningless. She couldn't force her partner to have a baby.

So the question became whether the possibility of never having children was going to lead her to resent Arizona five or ten years down the road, or if she could genuinely give up that dream and have a happy, wonderful, amazing life with the woman she loved.

Further musing was interrupted by the bathroom door opening, Arizona leaving it open behind her as she slipped into the room. She looked dwarfed in oversized (and obviously borrowed from one of the boys) sweats that were practically hanging off of her hips, a sliver of her stomach visible where the pants had dropped. Their eyes met through the water speckled glass of the shower wall but neither spoke for a long moment.

Blue eyes were pained, worried, and scared, and it broke Callie's heart, making her ache to fix it. But she didn't know how. Because she couldn't promise the rest of her life to Arizona if she was only going to resent her for it later. That wasn't fair to either of them. But giving up what she wanted wasn't going to be easy either. Arizona was the love of her life, of that she had no doubt, but nothing about this situation was easy. There was no quick fix, here.

"Arizona…" Callie sighed, the soft sound of her name snapping the other woman into motion. Her top was over her head in a second, the baggy pants discarded at the same time and then she was in Callie's arms, driving her back against the cool tile wall and kissing her before she could say anything more. More words could spell their doom and she wasn't ready for that. She wasn't ever going to be ready for that.

Wet hands in her dry hair made it catch and pull but Arizona didn't let her mouth be dragged away, her own hands sliding across a slick cheek and down a smooth neck. "Don't," she pleaded into a necessary gap for breath, lips closed around Callie's bottom lip before she could speak.

Neither one of them were quite sure what she was pleading for, but Callie wasn't going to stop what was happening to question her. This was _not_ going to be their last time like this. She wouldn't let it. But if Arizona needed something from her right now, she would give it to her absolutely. There was no one else she could imagine a life with, with kids or without, and she didn't even want to try picturing it. Was it better to have kids with someone else, settle for someone she loved less, and spend her life pining for the woman she'd let get away? Or was having a life with Arizona but without children going to be enough?

There wasn't an answer that she could find beyond that she was not going to lose Arizona without a hell of a fight.

Desperate kisses drew her back from her thoughts again, Arizona nipping hard at her lip. It was enough to make her jump, a moan tearing from her chest when a hot, slick tongue soothed the bite. Suddenly a little desperate herself, Callie let her body rock down on the thigh that had squirmed in between her legs. Arizona's hand slid between them before she could do it again, fingers finding their place without faltering, the blonde backing the next thrust with her entire body, free hand bunching black hair tightly.

Tearing her lips away for a needy breath, Callie was left gasping as Arizona drove her up without a pause, the water beating hot and hard against them. Her lover didn't relent, curling her fingers as she pushed in deep. Callie couldn't do more than bury her face in Arizona's shoulder and hang on, both hands gripping her shoulder and her side as she moaned and rode the thrusts the blonde was giving her. Licking the water from her neck, Callie sucked on a mouthful of pale skin, the steady jerking thrusts ensuring that she was going to leave a mark. She couldn't be bothered to stop though. At this moment, marking Arizona was something she wanted.

"Callie, please," Arizona groaned into her ear, voice husky and low.

Lifting her head to see her eyes, Callie felt her peak coming fast and hard. "Arizona…" The gasping moan of her name was all the warning she could muster and Arizona didn't stop anyway, driving her up and over and swallowing her moans and breathless cries in her own mouth.

Callie didn't give herself a moment to come down, spinning them along the wall as soon as Arizona pulled out, her own hands hiking one pale leg around her hip while two fingers of her other hand drove home. Their kiss broke as Arizona's moan tore itself free, her body going tight around her. "Oh, oh _fuck_," she gasped, eyes squeezed tightly closed. "Callie, please," she pleaded again.

It resulted in Callie freezing, going motionless immediately. Arizona moaned her protest, surprised to feel soft, gentle pecks to her neck, her jaw in the midst of what had been a rather forceful encounter so far. "Open your eyes," Callie requested, her voice hoarse and breathless but soft. "Look at me, Arizona. Let me see you." What she really wanted was for Arizona to see her, see how fully invested she was in this, in _them_, how completely it would destroy her to lose her.

Blue eyes were dark when they struggled open, eyelids fluttered as Callie started moving again, her body moving into the blonde's and practically lifting her off of her one balancing foot with each push inside her. She wasn't afraid to fall though. Callie wouldn't drop her. She just wished she believed that statement could be applied at this moment to parts of their life that weren't sex. Because she couldn't be the one that kept Callie from having a kid. But she wasn't cut out to be a mother. That had never been a desire she'd had, whatever that said about her.

"Arizona, look at me," Callie repeated when her lover's gaze went hazy, unfocused, and she leaned in to lick the mark she'd left on her neck. It was definitely going to bruise but she couldn't find regret or remorse about that. She _wanted _her mark on Arizona's skin, as possessive as it sounded in her head. "I love you," she whispered into her flesh, dragging her nose against her neck to suck on her earlobe, breathing hard into her ear. "I love everything about you."

It was the same thing she'd said earlier about Callie to Tim and it was enough to send her over the edge. The blonde head rocked against Callie's own, Arizona crashing headfirst into oblivion, her body spontaneously tightening and relaxing around her in waves. Callie brought her back down gently with soft touches and even softer words, steadying her on her wobbly legs when she finally set her down. They caught their breath together but didn't speak, Arizona looking away only after a long silence, sticking her face in the cooling water and pushing her wet hair back with both hands.

Callie could only watch her leave the shower stall in silence, not sure what that was supposed to mean for them, whether it was a spontaneous round of shower sex, or some attempt to say an impossible goodbye.

She wasn't sure what anything meant anymore.

* * *

><p>So, this one went through a lot of changes in editing (and went in a different direction than I was expecting), so if you spot any typos, please let me know!<p> 


	30. Chapter 25 pt 1

The next few days were filled with awkward, tense silence between the two women. Tim, Alex, and Teddy noticed, of course, though when they were in a group, or in public at the hospital, everything seemed the same as it had always been. But it wasn't. There were subtle differences - kisses less frequent and shorter, even in private, conversation focused just on work and cases (and the occasional strange tangent about food). But they both knew that their friends could see it, even if they couldn't bring themselves to talk about it any more.

But Callie wasn't surprised when Tim slung an arm over her shoulder as they walked into the hospital, him to his physical therapy workout and her to her latest twenty hour shift. "You're not going to let her get away over this, are you?" he questioned, going straight to the issue without bullshitting.

"I don't want to," Callie said, staying with him. He was steadier on his feet, more solid, but he still had a limp, stiffness in his left leg that he was working to get rid of. "But I can't force her to have a baby."

"I know she's stubborn, Callie, but she loves you. Don't give up on working this out with her."

Callie opened the PT wing's door for them and sighed as Tim stuffed his duffle bag into one of the lockers just inside. "I just don't get it. I know she's in Peds and sees all these scared parents, but does she really _not_ see how incredible she would be with a kid? How can she not see it?"

Tim shook his head, stretching his arms up over his head and standing on his toes. "I don't get it either, Cal. It's not like we had a traumatic childhood or anything. She was always a happy little kid, you know? And she's awesome with her patients!"

"I know!"

He gave her a sympathetic look. "You're not the only one it confuses. It's been driving Mom crazy for _years_. She wants grandkids but all Arizona has said since we were teenagers is that she doesn't want kids."

"What the hell?" Callie grumbled, sitting down on the bench in front of the lockers, unable to help watching him stretch. Strictly in a professional way, of course. He'd come a long way in an amazingly short amount of time. And he was good looking, charming, and in great shape, but she was completely in love with his sister. Even if they hadn't actually spoken that day.

"Could you give it up? Wanting kids, I mean. To stay with her, could you live without a baby?" Tim asked curiously.

"I want a baby," Callie said slowly, considering. "But, honestly, I don't know if I could imagine doing it without her." She'd been going back and forth, arguing with herself for days. Grumbling, she laid back on the bench to glare at the ceiling while Tim started his workout. "I don't want to do anything without her."

"She's the same way about you, Callie," Tim offered reassuringly, sitting down on the machine across the room and adjusting the weight limits. "You know, she works on kids all the time, knows exactly what can go wrong and has to watch it happen right in front of her. All those kids she can't save, it messes with her head."

Callie groaned, empathetic but still confused. "I understand that, really, I do, but not every kid has traumatic illnesses. And she's the best pediatric surgeon in the hemisphere!"

He started his first set with a grunt. "But don't you guys have rules like she couldn't help save her own kid?"

"Yes, but just because we have a kid doesn't mean that it's going to need saving," Callie countered, groaning again. It really was an impossible situation. And if they wanted to make it, one of them was going to have to compromise. "It's not like I want a baby _tomorrow_," she pointed out. "I mean, she could come around. I could wait…" And the thought of doing it, of raising a child, of living the rest of her life without Arizona was not something she liked considering.

Tim was on the leg press, his voice straining as he lifted the plates of weight. "She could come around," he agreed slowly. "But you aren't seriously going to get married without straightening this out, are you?"

"No, we can't do that."

"But you still want to get married, don't you?"

Callie was distracted by a beep on her pager, holding it up with a frown. "Of course, I…"

Tim looked over when she didn't finish, seeing her sit up on the bench. "What? You get paged?"

"No, it's - I don't actually know _what _this means…"

He lowered the weights back down and limped back across the room to read over her shoulder as though he would know it when she didn't. "Lockdown? What does that mean?"

"I don't know. We've never had one since I got here." Callie was wracking her brain, trying to think of the various codes and their meanings. Red was fire, black was explosive, but she had no idea what a lockdown was supposed to be. She knew it meant that they were now effectively locked in the physical therapy wing but had no clues why. "It could just be a drill, but could you go check the offices, see who's in here with us, and I'm going to check the doors and call the Chief."

Tim nodded, expression serious. He was used to situations that required action, could handle himself. But if something was going on here, it was the other people he was responsible for. And since Arizona was safe at home, that made his priorities Callie and Teddy.

They'd gotten there right at lunch so it turned out that they were alone in the gym, the trainers' offices empty. But Callie's face when he got back was ashen under her natural tan. "What? What's wrong?"

"There's a shooter in the hospital," she said and he immediately guided her away from the door, clicking the doorstop at the base of the door into place, silently cursing the lack of an actual lock.

"Stay away from the doors," he ordered sternly. "What does the shooter want? Who is he looking for?"

Callie shrugged, shaking her head. "We don't know yet. He's already killed some people, though." Suddenly, arguing with Arizona about babies seemed so much more insignificant. Not when they might not make it home tonight. "Tim…"

"You're going to be okay," he promised. "I'll get you out of here. Okay?" She nodded and he guided them to sit down. "Do you know where Teddy's supposed to be?"

Shaking her head to clear it, Callie blinked. "Um, I think she's supposed to be in surgery. I can call the OR."

"Do it." His brown eyes were stressed, anxious, but a crooked smirk made his dimples appear. "Please?" he added, taking a deep breath. Callie couldn't help smiling back at him weakly. The Robbins siblings really were irresistible.

A quick call reached Cristina Yang, the OR she and Teddy were using unaware of the danger, but Callie warned them to stay inside the OR. Tim relaxed some when he heard they were safe, leaning over on the bench with his elbows on his knees while Callie sat on the floor in front of him, back against the bottom row of lockers. "You need to call Arizona," he reminded her once she was off the phone with Cristina and Teddy.

"Oh God…"

He nodded, one hand scrubbing at his hair. "Better to talk to her yourself so she knows you're safe than for her to see it on the news…"

Before she could even press the speed-dial though, her phone was ringing, Arizona's picture lighting up the screen. "Arizona, I was just about to call you," she answered it.

"Are you okay?" She was clearly close to frantic.

"We're okay. We're in PT," Callie assured her, wishing more than anything that she could comfort Arizona herself.

The breath of relief Arizona let out was audible through the phone. "You're with Tim? Thank God! I'm with Alex."

That drew a frown to Callie's lips and Tim reached forward and took the phone, switching it to speakerphone, growing quickly tired of not being able to hear half of the conversation. "You're with Alex?" Callie questioned, heart suddenly pounding.

Tim looked at her in surprise. It was clear something was wrong. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Alex is in the hospital… _you're_ in the hospital." Tim went stiff and Callie felt like her head was going to explode. The only thing keeping her from having a panic attack was the fact that Arizona was supposedly safe at home. But she wasn't at home. She was here. In the same building with a rampaging shooter. "Oh God, I'm going to throw up."

"Calliope, we're okay," Arizona promised earnestly. "Don't throw up. As long as you're okay, I'm going to be fine." She took another deep breath. "I know it's been weird the last week, but I love you more than anything. You know that, right?"

Callie was close to tears and she nodded before she answered, Tim's hand finding her shoulder supportively. "Of course I do. I love you, Arizona."

"Is Tim listening? Am I on speaker?" asked Arizona.

"Yeah, why?" he questioned.

"It doesn't matter. Listen if you want, I don't care. Calliope, I love you. And I shouldn't have needed a shooter in the hospital to make me say this, but I will never leave you. Do you hear me? No matter what it takes, we'll figure this out, okay? No one's breaking up, no one's leaving. Because I love you, and you love me, and none of the rest of it _matters_."

Unable to fight the tears anymore, Callie could only nod, wiping her face with both hands. "Okay," she croaked out. "I love you."

"And I love you," Arizona echoed, her heart in her voice.

"You keep your head down, sis," Tim chimed in when it became clear that Callie wasn't able to say more. "Tell Karev I'll kick his wrestling ass if he lets anything happen."

"You be careful," Arizona answered him. "Take care of my Calliope."

"You got it." His tone was serious and severe, a promise in itself, and he slid off the bench to sit down beside her, curling one arm around her. Abruptly, Arizona cursed on the other side of the phone and Callie went stiff again. "Sis, Arizona, what's wrong?" Tim demanded gruffly.

"I've got to go. One of the kids up here's Appendix just ruptured and we can't get to the damn OR," Arizona explained, her frustration clear. "Calliope…?"

Callie choked back tears, Tim's hand guiding her head to his shoulder. "I'm here," the Latina answered her partner. "You go be awesome."

"I love you. Both of you," Arizona said, distracted.

Callie cleared her throat. "I love you too."

"We'll see you soon, sis," Tim promised, clicking the phone off and setting it on the bench in front of them.

Neither spoke for a long time, both lost in their own heads. Tim had never expected to leave the military, but now that he was home, in recovery from surgery no less, a gunman was the last thing he'd expected to find. And at the place his sister worked. It was unnerving. He found himself grateful to be there, glad he wouldn't have to hear about the shooting on the news and be scared for his little sister. He imagined that even if he hadn't been there, Callie would have protected Arizona, though. The way they felt about each other, he had no trouble seeing Callie standing between Arizona and a bullet.

"You okay?" he checked after he realized how much time had passed since they'd gotten off the phone, hearing her shaky breathing at his side.

Laughing unsteadily, Callie leaned into him, the fingers of one hand winding into the cotton of his t-shirt. "Part of me wants to tell you to go find her, keep her safe…" Of course she'd been thinking about the same thing he had.

He laughed as well, stretching his legs up to press his feet against the bench. It was bolted down and it gave him some resistance for his leg. "Yeah, how fast would she kill me if I left you here alone?" he countered knowingly. "Or worse, took you out around the hospital to run into the shooter? She is going to be alright, Callie. You know Arizona can take care of herself. And Karev has always watched her ass." It succeeded in drawing a look from Callie and he smiled. "Not like that. Not how you watch her ass."

Callie's laugh was more relaxed. She _did_ have a pretty obvious thing for Arizona's ass. Of course he had noticed. "I know she's your sister…"

"Oh, please, don't say it!" he requested, grateful that they had managed to calm down even if it meant he had to hear Callie complement his sister's butt.

"…but she's got an _incredible_ ass," Callie finished, ignoring him.

"Well, you can't ever tell her I said this, but you have an awesome rack," he countered to get back at her, Callie rolling her eyes.

"You better _hope_ I never tell her you said that."

Before he could speak again, they heard a shot ring out, Callie squeezing her eyes closed as Tim went rigid beside her, his every muscle tight. It was close, he knew that instinctively, and it hadn't been a handgun. It seemed unlikely that the shooter had gotten into the hospital unnoticed with anything bigger, so the shot was the police.

"Callie, that wasn't a handgun," he said, trying to be reassuring. She just looked confused and shook her head. "I doubt the shooter got in here with the gun that just made that shot."

Thinking it through, Callie breathed deeply, trying to regain her calm. "So that shot was…"

"It sounds like a military rifle. Most likely the police," he told her. "If the hospital is locked down, there's probably a SWAT team outside looking to end this."

However, his reassurances went entirely out the window when something hit the outside door of the PT gym. It wasn't a shot, but it wasn't nothing either. A sweaty, pale face appeared in the sliver of a window, empty ice blue eyes seeing them.

* * *

><p>I'm sure you've got opinions, let me hear it...<p> 


	31. Chapter 25 pt 2

Tim stood up as the door took another hit, the rubber stopper at the bottom protesting where it dragged across the floor. The next hit burst it open, Callie standing up to catch Tim's elbow. He deliberately moved in between her and the man who entered, the gun trembling in his hand, though it was at his side, not pointing at them. "They shot me," he gasped out, his right hand covering a high gunshot wound on his left shoulder.

They didn't say anything, Tim eyeing him in wary consideration. Callie's grip just tightened on his arm, not sure what he wanted to do. The shooter's eyes surveyed them. "Are you doctors?" Callie was in her street clothes, not having time to go to the locker room before the lockdown, Tim in his workout clothes, the scars of his ordeals obvious on his shins beneath his loose shorts. Neither one of them looked like doctors.

"No," Tim answered before Callie could say anything. "I'm a patient." He gestured toward his leg. "I'm Tim and this is my sister Callie." Callie and Arizona could never have passed for siblings, but with his darker coloring and the deep tan he still wore from his time in the desert, Tim Robbins could have passed for Callie's brother if someone didn't look too long. And this man obviously wasn't in a right state of mind.

"Gary, Gary Clark," the other man introduced himself shakily. He was wavering on his feet and clearly the effort to break the door open had taken most of his remaining energy.

Callie kept a hand on Tim's arm though, not wanting him to do something rash and get himself shot. "Mr. Clark, you're really bleeding," she said, looking around. "I don't think you're going to find any bandages down here, though." It wasn't a ruse, there really weren't many medical supplies in the PT wing. Not for caring for a gunshot, at least. "This is physical therapy."

The gun wobbled in his hand, the loss of blood starting to affect him. He just lingered in the doorway, looking at his surroundings almost idly. "This place is _so_ big. I keep getting lost." He wasn't looking at them but Callie still held Tim at her side, digging her nails into his arm. "I don't guess you know where the Chief of Surgery's office is, do you?"

Callie knew exactly where it was but obviously wasn't going to say anything. "No, we're only ever in here so I can work out my leg," Tim answered, drawing the shooter's eyes to his obviously fresh scars.

"What happened to you anyway?"

"Car accident," he lied smoothly. No way was he going to tell the disgruntled man with the gun that he was trained to take it away from him.

"Did the doctors fix you up right?"

Callie went stiff again behind him but Tim nodded confidently. "Yeah, they did. I shouldn't have my legs right now."

The empty blue eyes took another look at them. "You got lucky, son." His breathing hitched into an almost sob. "They killed my wife here. She came to them, trusted them, and they just unplugged her. The surgeons… It's not right." He sighed heavily, head shaking from side to side. "They can't just _do_ that. Can't just get away with it. Murdering her like that…" He didn't turn his back on them, wasn't that out of it yet, but he edged out of the room, pace painful and slow.

"Oh my God," Callie whispered, suddenly trembling and taking what felt like her first breath in hours but had in reality only been a few minutes.

"You okay? You good?" Tim checked, turning to look at her, but keeping his body at an angle so he could keep an eye toward the door. She nodded shaky confirmation and he handed her the phone. "Call the police and tell them you're inside the hospital, tell them the shooter is down here," he instructed her, his voice steady and sure. It made her feel better, seeing him so calm.

That feeling shattered a second later with another gunshot, Tim throwing her forcefully against the lockers with his body covering her. She peeked over his shoulder when nothing more happened after a moment. "I think we're okay," she whispered, but Tim's hands guided her around the corner of the lockers, into a little bit of cover.

"You don't move. I'll go check it out," he instructed her sternly, gaze serious. He had never seemed so much the Colonel's son as he did at that moment. Callie just nodded dutifully, shrinking back against the wall. He was only gone for a minute before he called for her. "You can come out, Callie. They got him."

The sight of death was something she was familiar with, not comfortable with, just familiar. But the sight of Gary Clark's body sprawled and bleeding in the hallway, the corresponding bullet hole and blood splatter on the wall behind where he'd been walking, it was stark and violent and harsh and completely knocked the breath out of her. He was dead, his eyes somehow impossibly even more empty in death than they'd been in life.

The SWAT members were talking to them, loud words and booming voices that she couldn't understand. Tim stayed steady at her side though, handling answering questions and explanations. Callie was just in a haze. They were alive. That was the only thing in her head. She was alive. She got to go home. She got to see Arizona again, got to kiss her, to look in her eyes, touch her hands, play with her hair, fall asleep with her, make love to her. All the things she wanted to do with her every day for the rest of their lives.

And it occurred to her that she could live without having a baby with her if it meant she got to do all of those other things. Because having a baby without Arizona, as much as a baby was something she wanted, doing it without her partner was impossible. Any baby she had needed to be Arizona's as well. She'd been debating it with herself, but it was as simple as that and it was perfectly clear now.

"Tim…" He looked down at her as she gasped his name. "I need to find her." If she went another five minutes without seeing Arizona, she was going to lose it.

His dimples appeared as he smiled his understanding. "Yeah, I figured." He could only blink as Callie rose up on her toes and kissed him straight on the mouth, could only stare as she dropped back flat on her feet. "Um, that was a reaction thing, right?" She was gone without another word, bolting for the Peds floor without looking back. "And we're not telling Arizona, right?" he called before she was out of earshot. "Right?" he tried again, raising his voice as she took off up the stairs. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath to the SWAT team member beside him. "My sister's going to kill me…"

Callie could hear Tim behind her, but couldn't spare the time to reassure him that the kiss meant nothing. She was going to marry Arizona. And the thought of that was so good, made her so happy, that she'd kissed him. And she had a feeling that he'd saved her life by being with her in that room, so she'd kissed him. Charging into the Peds unit, she stopped only a second to grab a nurse and demand to know where Dr. Robbins was.

Performing an Appendectomy was normally small potatoes for Arizona, but an Appie with no anesthesia and no OR was something else and she almost wanted to wait until her lover was finished. But the time she was willing to wait to see her was down to under a minute and she snatched a gown, gloves, a mask, and a cap, preparing herself as if she was going into a normal OR and not just a patient room.

Arizona was focusing diligently on her patient, the little girl crying behind the drape that kept her from seeing her own open abdomen. Alex was standing across the table and noticed Callie, but Arizona didn't look up from her work as Callie moved to the head of the bed and pulled one hand out of her glove, pushing her mask down so the little girl could see her face, not just her eyes under the blue scrub cap. "Squeeze my hand tight, tight, tight," Callie encouraged the frightened patient in a whisper. "Oh, wow, you're strong!"

"I want my mama!" the little girl, who couldn't have been older than five, whimpered.

"I know you do, but you've got the best doctor in the world with you right now," Callie told her, voice still low. "Yeah, Dr. Robbins is the best doctor in the whole world."

She wasn't speaking any louder, but Arizona looked up at the sound of her name, eyes widening over her mask as she met Callie's. "Oh, thank God," the blonde whispered fervently, freezing and drinking in the sight of her lover in the room. She couldn't express it now though, when she was in surgery.

Callie smiled and could see the relieved expression Arizona's mask was hiding crinkling her eyes at the corners. "People feel _so_ much better after she helps them. Sometimes people feel better just after she walks in the room. Because she has got this super-magic smile. And when she smiles at you, everything gets better." Callie took a deep breath, feeling the little girl squeezing her hand hard. "You don't know it, because you can't see her right now, but she's giving you, _wow_, she's giving you her best super-magic smile!" Callie promised with a reassuring smile of her own, glancing up at Arizona again who was now staring at her with slow tears sliding down her cheeks under her mask.

"Isn't that right, Dr. Robbins?" she asked gently.

Arizona shook her head, clearing her throat to get a handle on her emotions. Relief was overwhelming her now that she could see Calliope, see that she was safe. "Right," she croaked finally. "I am, Ruby." She took a moment to refocus, finish her operation. She was nearly done, but with everything about this day being _so_ terrifying and wrong, she took the time to double and triple check her every stitch.

Closing up and putting her instruments down, she took a big step back from her makeshift table and snapped her gloves off, breathing deeply and slowly as she tore off mask and gown and tucked her favorite pink scrub cap into her pocket. Her eyes closed as she gathered herself, finding Callie's when they opened. The love of her life was safe, in the room, whole and healthy and charming the crap out of a scared little girl. She was amazing. And she would clearly be an amazing parent.

Ruby laughed as Callie hummed something to her, Arizona just watching. Could she want this? She wanted to want it. Because she couldn't lose Callie. She tried to imagine having a kid, though. _Their _kid. The thought sent a shiver of sensation down her spine. The thought of bringing their child there to the hospital, of having to stand by and watch while someone else took care of their child came to mind quick on the heels of the first thought. It was enough to make her heart drop out of her chest.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Callie's quiet voice brought her back to the present and she realized that they were now alone in the room, the nurses moving Ruby to find her parents and undoubtedly get transferred to another hospital. There was no way anyone would be working here for the rest of the day.

Throwing her arms around Callie's shoulders, she was relieved by the Latina's strong arms wrapping her up securely. "Oh my God, I love you so much. I'm so glad you're okay." She twisted her fingers into dark hair, pulling the scrub cap out of her way and dropping it uncaringly to the floor. "You _are _okay, right?"

"I'm okay, Arizona," Callie promised, burying her face in the blonde's neck.

"Where's Tim?"

"Probably still talking to the SWAT guy. Or else he's in the OR hallway looking for Teddy."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She was in surgery the whole time. I saw Alex. Tim was going to kick his ass if he wasn't around. And I might've helped," confessed Callie on a sigh. "I was promised he'd be watching your butt for me. But not in a sexy way."

It got her a laugh, Arizona leaning back to smile at her. "He can try it if he wants to get hit with a brick," she promised. "I'm _so_ glad to see you, Calliope."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, a police officer opening it up. "Dr. Torres, we'll need to get a statement from you about what happened, ma'am."

Normally, Arizona would have taken the opportunity to tease her about being called 'ma'am' but she was caught up on the mentioned incident. "'_What happened_?' Calliope, what happened?" All of a sudden, she was panicking again, her heart skipping in spite of the fact that she could see for herself that Callie was perfectly safe and appeared to be fine.

Taking a deep breath, Callie pushed escaped blonde curls back behind Arizona's ear. "Let's talk while we walk, okay?" She found one of Arizona's hands at the back of her neck and pulled it down to lace their fingers. "We're both okay, alright? But we did see the shooter."

"You _**what**_?"

"Arizona, please, we are okay," Callie reiterated. "Tim didn't leave my side for a second and the guy had already been shot once through the shoulder. We talked to him and he left. The SWAT sniper got him just a minute later. That is all."

Arizona stared sideways up at her in disbelief. "That is _all_? Calliope…"

"Oh, and I might have kissed Tim, but…" She figured she might as well spill all of the proverbial beans, shoulders rising around her ears in preparation for the reaction.

Her fiancée didn't disappoint, pulling them promptly to a stop in the hallway and staring her down. It was a trait she looked to have inherited from Bailey. "When you say you _kissed_ him…"

"One peck, on the lips, not even a second," Callie rattled off the details she thought Arizona might be asking for. "And, you should keep in mind that he basically save my life today," she added hurriedly.

Arizona's blue eyes searched her face silently for a long moment, the blonde apparently mulling something over. Deliberately, she turned to face Callie and both hands on her face pulled her into a kiss. This kiss was nothing at all like the meeting of lips Callie had had with Tim and Arizona was clearly determined to wipe anyone else but her out of her lover's mind. This kiss was deep, and slow, a dance between their mouths.

And Callie was perfectly willing to let it happen, answering the kiss passionately. All their rules for PDA around the hospital were clearly out the window as well. Arizona bit Callie's lip in silent rebuke (and maybe a bit of marking her territory) but it just made the brunette groan into her mouth, her own hands sliding across the back of Arizona's neck and through her hair. Then her ring, the engagement ring Arizona had put on her finger, got caught in blonde lengths and the kiss broke as Arizona's hair was pulled.

Untangling herself, Callie chuckled a bit breathlessly. "I love you," she said, glad when Arizona smiled and said it back to her. "Please don't be mad at Tim about the kiss. He was shocked, really…"

Arizona's smile didn't disappear but her dimples were shallow. "I'll let him off the hook because he kept you safe, but I need you to _never _remind me about it."

"Done," Callie promised instantly. The cop who'd come to fetch her was waiting at the far end of the hall and she nodded toward him. "How about we do this crap and go home?"

Arizona didn't move though, standing still in the hallway. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke again, "People died, Calliope." Callie's expression grew serious. "People are dead and…"

"We're not dead," Callie gently reminded her, guiding her in closer again. "Let's go home and talk, okay?"

Arizona could only nod and let her partner pull her along. She threw herself at her brother in a hug as soon as she saw him while Callie went to give her statement to the police. "Thank you," Arizona whispered into Tim's chest, both arms squeezing him tight.

"That woman loves you, Arizona." He loved his sister, he really did, but if she screwed this up with Callie, he was going to be _so_ pissed. But, of course, she was his sister and he had her back no matter what. They were both watching Callie across the lobby, her own brown eyes constantly searching out Arizona whenever she could spare a glance. "We talked today, you know. And she _loves_ you. And she's good for you." His voice was serious, earnest. "I think she could make you want more than you ever thought you did."

Callie left the cop and Tim left Arizona with that final statement to ponder, the brunette greeting her fiancée with a kiss. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Both looked to Tim, who had ridden in with Callie, but he waved them off.

"I'm going to wait for Teddy and Karev. You guys go."

He was clearly trying to give them some privacy at the house and Callie sent him a grateful smile which he answered with a wink. It seemed surprising to Callie that it was only mid-afternoon, the sun even peeking out from behind the clouds. It felt like it should have been storming or dark outside like it got in the movies when bad things happened. Maybe that meant that today wouldn't be _all _bad. Arizona drove them home the way she always did, Callie just riding silently and holding her girlfriend's hand in her lap. No way was she letting it go.

* * *

><p>So, apparently the way to get the lurkers to talk is to have massive cliffhangers - aren't you glad I'm not doing that again? But keep talking, lurkers! I know you're out there now!<p> 


	32. Chapter 26

Karev's Camaro was in the driveway but the house was empty and quiet as they entered, both hesitating just inside the door. They needed to talk, but the setting was up to choice. Their bedroom was more intimate, less likely to be interrupted, but the living room would give them room to get some distance if that's what they found they needed. Making a decision, Callie guided Arizona up the stairs with her. She wasn't going to let them give each other space until they destroyed themselves, even with their mutual declarations of forever. They still needed to have this talk.

The brunette immediately fell into bed, burrowing her face into Arizona's pillow to bury herself in the scent of her hair. It made tears burn suddenly in her eyes. One thing had gone wrong and she never would have had this again. Both arms slid under the pillow to hold it tighter. She could hear Arizona moving around the room, kicking off her sneakers, getting fresh socks out of the dresser, the same things she did every day when she got home from work. It was so ordinary, so exactly what she wanted to see every day, that it almost made her lose control of her tears. Instead, she just turned onto her side to watch.

Arizona was gorgeous. Everything about her drew her in. "I had this list," Callie said, speaking before she'd realized that she intended to speak. Arizona turned from the dresser to look at her but didn't move, not sure what was coming. "When the shooter came into the room and I thought we might be about to die…" That prompted Arizona to move closer. "I had this list of things in my head that I wasn't going to get to do…"

"Calliope…" She didn't know what was on this list, but the tone of her lover's voice - almost flat, but sad at the same time - was enough to nearly break her heart. "We can do whatever you want." The promise was made without thought to the repercussions, but she realized even as she said it that she meant it. Anything Callie wanted, she would get from her. It might take her a few years to get ready for some things, but she would try. Anything for Callie.

Callie sat up and opened her arms wordlessly, Arizona crawling into them without protest. "This was on my list," she whispered. She turned her face into Arizona's cheek and kissed her, letting her lips linger longer than she normally would on a cheek kiss. "So was that," she breathed into the blonde's ear. "Everything on my list was something I wanted to do with you, things that I thought I'd never get to do again."

"Calliope," Arizona sighed again, Callie shifting them so they were laying down. There was nothing sexual about it though. She just wanted to be close.

"Shh," the brunette hushed her. "I know you had to have been thinking some crap about letting me go so I can be have kids and be happy, but that's not going to make me happy. _You_ make me happy, Arizona. So you just let me talk. Just for a minute," she requested, nudging her nose against Arizona's. "I love you and I'm going to tell you every single day for the rest of our lives. And everything that I wanted to do, everything I want, it's not worth doing if you're not there with me." Arizona's big blue eyes blinked but she didn't say a word, just drew in a deep breath. "Everything that I thought about never getting to do, it was all the little stuff. When I thought we might die, I just wanted to hold your hand," she did just that and Arizona had to fight tears, "and I wanted to see your gorgeous eyes, and push this little bit of hair out of your face," the arm she was lying on came up to touch one of Arizona's curls that fell stubbornly over her right eye, "and I wanted make love to you, and fall asleep holding you." Callie sucked in a shaky breath of her own as the relief hit her again. "And I wanted to kiss you. I want to kiss you so bad."

"So kiss me," Arizona whispered, not noticing or caring that she was almost pleading.

Callie smiled but didn't lean in, just squeezed her hand. "I'm not done talking. I promise I will kiss you." The hand that had been rolling blonde hair between its fingers trailed over her face to swipe a thumb gently across a full bottom lip and Arizona's free hand rose to pull Callie's palm to her lips, kissing her hand over and over again. "All of this stuff just went through my mind, you know, all these things I wanted to do with you, things I was going to miss… But not once did I think about a baby."

Arizona's next breath was short and shocked behind Callie's hand and she unconsciously shifted their hands to her chest, holding Callie's palm against her rapidly beating heart. "Calliope…"

"Let me finish," Callie prompted again patiently, smiling softly. "I still want a baby, Arizona. But if I have to lose you to get one, if I have to do it without you, it's not something I _need_. Having a baby, living, doing much of anything without you is just… a waste when we could be doing them together." Arizona didn't say anything for a long moment, not sure if she _could_ say anything even if it was her turn to talk. "You can talk now," Callie whispered, smiling in amusement.

"I'm not sure I can," Arizona said, prompting a quiet laugh from Callie.

She just pulled Arizona further into her, content to just fill the same space as her other half. "That's okay too," she promised, nuzzling her face into the blonde's neck. "I like it just like this."

An answering moan escaped from Arizona and Callie smiled against her skin. "Okay, you can't say stuff like 'I want to kiss you' and 'I like it just like this' and _not_ kiss me, Calliope!" Callie lifted her face to give her a smile, leaning down immediately for a slow, soft kiss. It was brief, with neither of them feeling the need to push for anything more at the moment, (the 'I want to make love to you' statement could be addressed later) and Callie settled herself back against Arizona's side with a satisfied sigh.

"You know, while you were doing all this thinking today, I was thinking too," Arizona said slowly, hesitant. "And I _want_ to want a baby. For you. Because I want to give you everything you need."

Callie shook her head, surprising her. "You have to want it too, Arizona. You can't give me a baby because you think it'll keep me happy. You have to want it too. Otherwise we're just going to resent each other." She breathed deeply, nuzzling into her neck. "And I'll wait. I'm not going to push you."

It was Arizona's turn for a deep breath. "Okay, well I'm going to try, I promise. And I'm not saying I'll never get there, I'm going to keep trying to wrap my head around it, but I don't want a baby right now," she said honestly. "We're still new attendings, and we're getting married, and our house is basically a frat house…"

Callie laughed, amused by the accurate metaphor. Between Alex and his women, and Tim and Teddy - who came along with a guest package of Owen and Cristina and Meredith and Derek - the house was a bit crowded most of the time. It totally was a frat house. "You're not going to kick Alex and Tim out when we get married, are you?"

"Well, we'll be married, so it'll be _our_ decision, but no, I'd rather not kick them out," Arizona acknowledged, smiling herself. They were being honest with each other and no one was leaving. It might be possible that they could really do this. "But I don't know about having them _and_ a baby in the house."

Laughing again, full, deep laughs from her stomach, Callie nodded. "Yeah, okay, I see your point. We can talk about it again if we ever decide to add a baby to the household."

"You would seriously not have a baby for me?" Arizona asked, still not believing that this incredible, amazing, miraculous woman would give that up for her.

Callie nodded, kissing her neck without lifting her head. "Yes. I'm not going to force you to have a baby, Arizona. And if you're not my baby's mother, then I'm not having a baby." It was as simple as that for her. She could give up a lot in life - George, her parents, Miami - but she couldn't give up Arizona, even if it meant giving up babies. She could always be an awesome aunt to Tim's kids. And he would be an amazing dad.

"Well, I'm really going to try and get used to that," Arizona promised earnestly. "Because I want to make you happy, Calliope." Callie's hand just squeezed her hip lightly. "And Tim probably wouldn't say it, but he will be so pissed at me if I screw this up." Callie chuckled against her neck, the warmth of her breath setting Arizona's skin on fire. "And he said you make me want more and he's right. I want more with you than I ever wanted for myself. So, I swear, I'm really trying to want to be a mother." Even saying the sentence was weird. "Because if I'm going to be a parent with anyone, it's going to be you, Calliope. I can't live without you and our ten hypothetical kids."

Callie couldn't stop a smile, relieved she didn't have to. "We'll figure it out," she promised softly. "Whatever _we_ want, we'll make it work."

Arizona let out a deep breath, feeling as though she could melt into the bed. This last week had been so stressful, and today didn't even bear thinking about, but Callie was safe, was in her arms, and was apparently willing to wait on her to be ready to have a child, possibly give it up entirely. "I think you need to kiss me again," she requested on her next exhale, Callie's arm sliding under her neck as she shifted herself back up onto her elbow.

This kiss started slow but didn't, couldn't, stay that way for long, not when Callie could have been shot, not when she might have been in this bed alone tonight, trying to mourn an unfathomable loss. Feeling the near desperation in the hands that were suddenly clinging to hair and shirt and side, anywhere they touched, Callie moved closer, delivering herself fully into Arizona's hands. The blonde adapted without thought, relying entirely on feeling as she flipped them, not surrendering Callie's lips for a second. Callie over her felt amazing, but she needed her partner safe under her hands right now.

"Oh God," she gasped out when she had to, the burn in her lungs for air overpowering even her need to keep kissing her.

Callie caught another hard kiss before speaking herself, "I know, I'm here," she said breathlessly, hoping it would soothe her somewhat. Arizona's hips rocked down hard on her own and she moved a leg to help her out, give her something to ride. "It's okay," she encouraged her when she felt the hesitation in her lover's frame, hands moving to her hips to help steady her. "I want you to."

Blue eyes fell closed heavily. "Oh, fuck, Calliope…" Arizona's voice was a throaty moan. She wasn't sure they'd ever done it like this, even in some of their faster on-call room quickies, both of them fully clothed, no tongues, and no hands involved beyond her palms on Callie's chest and Callie's grip on her hips for balance. But she could feel the edge coming at her, needed to come, needed Callie to get her there and bring her back to earth.

Craning up to kiss across the top of her lover's chest, Callie caught the back of her neck with one hand while Arizona gasped and moaned and rocked against her helplessly. "I'm right here," she breathed into her ear, the reminder making the blonde moan. "I love you, Arizona," Callie continued softly, sucking on the lobe. "Everything about you." Arizona's moan went up sharply in pitch but she didn't say anything, too caught up in feeling everything, her breath coming hard and fast, her eyes unable to do anything but stay squeezed closed. "Arizona…"

Rocketing over the precipice with a breathless gasp, her body went stiff and still before melting spontaneously into Callie's warmth and comfort and support. Coming back to awareness found gentle hands in her hair, a soft voice whispering in her ear. Lips kissed the side of her neck and she started to roll off, realizing dimly that Callie might be uncomfortable after however many hazy minutes she'd just spent collapsed on top of her. Of course, the concept of time was still a bit fuzzy for her currently.

Callie's arms kept her firmly in place, however. "Don't move," she requested, more than a little breathless sounding herself. "I like you right there."

It prompted a surprising chuckle from the blissed out blonde, laughter that quickly spread to Callie, both of them laughing without hesitation or self-consciousness. "Oh, I love you," Arizona interjected between laughs, pushing herself up on her elbows to look down into happy brown eyes. "I love you," she repeated, dropping a kiss beside her nose.

Callie's smile didn't slip, her eyes didn't blink or flicker. "I love you too," she echoed, whispering. "More than anything."

Arizona kept her eyes locked on her, smiling and dragging a hand across her face, Callie kissing her palm as it passed over her lips. "This is real?"

"This is real," Callie confirmed immediately. "Arizona, we're together, we're in a relationship, we're getting married. And whatever we decide to do from now on, we do it together."

Arizona's throat moved as she swallowed, blinking swiftly and ducking her head to rest against Callie's chest. "If I say I love you again it's… but I don't know what else to say…"

"You don't have to say anything," said Callie softly. "Just lay here with me."

Obliging her, Arizona rested comfortably on top of her, feeling Callie's arms snug around her hips, her shoulders. She didn't know how long they lay there in silence, but she wasn't tired or sleepy, just comfortable and warm and safe. A knock on the door broke the quiet and they could hear Tim from the other side, "If you're not already having sex, we have a proposition."

Laughing and sliding off to flop down beside her, Arizona called for him to come in, not bothering to sit up or remove herself from Callie's arms. "What's up, brother?"

He answered her with a grin, "I'm here to collect." The women just exchanged confused glances and he continued, still grinning. "Callie owes me a dance. I'd like to collect on it."

Callie was still smiling and she leaned up to look down into Arizona's face. "It's whatever _we_ want to do," the blonde reminded her warmly.

"You're really up for going dancing?" Callie asked, genuinely surprised.

"I'm not the one who had a gun in my face today, Calliope."

Callie protested, "It was never in my face…"

"Same difference. I wasn't the one who was in the same room with a crazy, gun-toting, lunatic," Arizona corrected herself, tone growing sharp as her mind offered up possible scenarios that could have happened from the combination of doctor hating psycho in a room with Callie, each one worse than the last.

Seeing her partner's stress, Callie nodded and sat up. "Let's go dancing then." Arizona needed a distraction, needed to calm down, relax. Tim gave her a wink and Arizona leaned against her as she sat up as well. She knew that she'd promised she wouldn't go crazy if Callie danced with Tim, but the way she felt right now, the _need_ to keep Callie close might not let her get enough space to dance with anyone but her. After the day they'd had, she didn't feel up for letting Callie out of her sight.

"And, sis, you promised to behave," Tim reminded her, smirking.

Teasing her brother was familiar and made her feel better, something she expected was his intention. He'd always been such a good brother. "You just watch the hands," she answered, shooting him a look and pushing herself off the bed. Callie took her hand as she stood up, leaning in to kiss her cheek softly and whispering love into her ear. Arizona looked at her with a sudden sly grin. "You just remember that you're not dancing with me. Keep it clean."

Chuckling, Tim eyed Callie. "Do I even want to know what kind of dancing you two do? Because we're going dancing in a public place. I can't promise it'll be well lit though." Arizona just glared warningly at both of them. "We're talking about dancing, not sex."

"You've never seen her dance," Arizona advised seriously. Callie just shrugged unapologetically. She knew what she looked like when she danced. And she knew exactly how it affected Arizona. Dancing together on Arizona's last birthday was one of her favorite memories.

Tim laughed and curled an arm over both of their shoulders. "Oh, this is going to be even more fun than I thought it was!" he rejoiced, ignoring his sister's glare.

"Why do you want to go dancing _today_ anyway?" the blonde grumbled. "Today sucked."

"Because we _can_, little sister," he answered her earnestly. "I have both of my legs and can walk. And none of us got shot today and we could have. And, last but not least, you two are getting married, so we are going to celebrate."

She shoved him toward the door, though she was smiling. "Well, if we're doing this, we're going to do it right. So you leave so we can get changed, because I'm not going dancing in scrubs." She raked her eyes over her partner. "And Calliope will undoubtedly want to wear some dress that is going to make me want to kill people for looking at her."

Callie just grinned, happy to see her smile. It was still fun to tease Arizona, no matter how easy it was sometimes. And people looking at her, lusting after her, was one of the easiest ways to get under her lover's skin. And the sex after they got home was always phenomenal.

"I'll leave you ladies to it, then," Tim said, backing out of their bedroom. "And if we don't see you in half an hour, we'll assume you're having sex and we'll go without you."

"That's probably smart," Callie agreed, winking at Arizona, who couldn't help blushing. He pulled the door closed behind him with a grin and they moved toward their closet. "I can tone down the sexy if you want me to," she offered sweetly. She enjoyed teasing Arizona, but she didn't want to push anything when she knew Arizona was already stressed.

The blonde snorted in denial. "No, you can't, Calliope. It's innate. I'll just remind Tim to keep his eyes on your face." Callie remembered his comment about her breasts and had to bite back a laugh. She'd promised she wouldn't tell and she wouldn't, but it could still be fun if he thought she'd given him up.

"I'm sure he'll need the reminder, babe," she agreed dryly, reaching for her favorite black dress. It was comfortable but still sexy, and it clung to her curves and showed plenty of leg. That made it Arizona's favorite dress too and she groaned appreciatively as Callie picked it out.

Tim, Teddy, and Alex were waiting on them in the living room when they were ready, Karev already having tossed back a shot. "We doing this?" he asked. "Torres, you're looking hot!" he greeted them. Even with tequila in his stomach, he knew better than offer the same greeting to Arizona.

"I guess I'm driving," Arizona commented in answer, rolling her eyes at him.

The rest of the group just laughed. "I think that was a given," Tim reminded her, wisely not agreeing aloud with Alex, no matter that he was absolutely right. Both of them were stunning, but he didn't want to get hit by either his sister or Teddy.

"Yang and the Greys are going to meet us there," Teddy said, grinning at her friends' surprise. "It's like girls' night!"

"Hey!" Tim and Alex protested simultaneously.

* * *

><p>Derek and Owen didn't get shot here, so their wives have no problems going out and getting drunknot being traumatized... just fyi.

Let me hear it, former lurkers! And my beloved regulars, of course!


	33. Chapter 27 pt 1

Arizona's blue eyes were locked across the room, but her hand found the fresh wineglass that Teddy put in front of her. The heart surgeon glanced over her shoulder to where Tim and Callie were dancing as she took a seat across from her best friend. "You don't seriously think he would try anything, do you?" she asked, amused.

Taking a sip of her wine, Arizona shook her head. "No, I don't." Callie laughed at something Tim said and Arizona couldn't help smiling. Happy Callie made her happy. "It's her. I don't want to take my eyes off of her," she confessed hoarsely. "I could have lost her today. And it's felt like I've almost been losing her for the last week. I thought this baby thing was going to wreck us."

"It's not?" Teddy asked, quietly relieved. She'd watched her best friend date, but she'd never seen her as happy as she was with Callie. "You guys talked?"

Arizona sighed, her eyes shifting to her friend. "Yeah, we did. I guess she talked to Tim too. She says she doesn't want to have a baby without me, and I can't live without her…" She took a shuddery breath and took another look at Callie. "I want to want it, for her. I want to be able to give her everything that she needs." She blinked and there were tears in her eyes. "I _need_ to want it, Teddy. I just don't know…"

The Cardio surgeon grinned, reaching across the table to take her friend's hand. "You're great with kids, Arizona," she said supportively. "And can you imagine how cute Callie's kid would be? I mean, seriously! Picture that kid," requested Teddy.

Doing so, Arizona couldn't help smiling, her eyes drifting back to her fiancée, Tim spinning them. Callie's child would be unbelievably gorgeous, adorable, precious - every good adjective that there was. And being that child's parent - a blessing beyond anything she'd ever imagined for her life. But she was scared to death to want that. Because losing it, anything threatening it - like Callie had been threatened today - would destroy her utterly. But she could see those dark eyes she loved, the olive skin, and black hair in miniature and her heart skipped a beat.

"A mini you would be pretty cute too, Robbins," Teddy continued, smiling into her wine at the suddenly wistful (dare she say, _longing_) expression on her friend's face. "Your mom showed me some pictures one time."

Rolling her eyes, Arizona grumbled under her breath, "I still can't believe she showed you those."

Teddy just smirked. "But imagine Callie loving on a little blonde baby," she proposed.

Arizona's smile grew slowly as that image appeared in her mind. Calliope would be a beautiful mother. "You don't have to convince me that she would be an amazing mother. I know that. I have _no_ reservations about Calliope, like, at _all_! She's the best thing that's ever happened to me and I know without a doubt that she would be the best thing that would ever happen to a baby."

"It'll just take you time?" Teddy asked gently.

Arizona nodded. "And she said she'll wait until I'm ready, and I don't want to lose her, but what if I never get past this? What if I can't give her this?"

Teddy sighed, following Arizona's eyes to where Callie was still dancing with Tim. "I think you're scared of what _might_ happen somewhere down the line, but I don't think you're scared to want this. At least not with Callie. You're just not ready. And maybe you'll never be ready or change your mind," she offered a smile, "and that's okay. Callie's not pushing, is she?"

Arizona shook her head with a sigh. "She's wonderful."

Teddy squeezed her wrist gently. "Okay, you need to get out there with her, because I can't handle anymore of the soft sighing," she stated fondly. "Send me my stud back, please," she requested, smirking when Arizona's eyes rolled and she grimaced.

"Gross! That's my brother!" she whined, shaking her head as though she could shake the statement out. "But I am going to go dance with _my_ fiancée." She drained her wineglass as she slid off the tall chair. "Are you coming?"

"Yep," Teddy agreed, curling her arm through hers as they went onto the dance floor.

Arizona glanced sideways at her, looking up at her taller friend. "Thanks, Teddy. You're a good friend."

"You got it," the heart surgeon promised, nodding toward Callie. "Go get her."

Tapping on Tim's shoulder, Arizona was smiling sweetly as he turned to her. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut in," she said, glancing from him to Callie. "My turn." Tim graciously stepped aside, offering Callie's hand to Arizona with a smile and kissing Callie on the cheek. "Teddy's looking for you." There was an edge in Arizona's tone after the kiss and Callie smirked, pulling her into her arms.

"Thank you for the dance, Tim," Callie said politely, swaying with Arizona. "Hey you," she whispered, nuzzling her nose against the blonde's. "I could feel you watching me. Did you have a nice talk with Teddy?" She could see the redness in Arizona's eyes, knew she'd been close to tears all night.

A deep breath prefaced the blonde's speech, blue eyes closing. "We talked about you."

"So, good talk?" Callie teased lightly. She knew they still had plenty of talking to do themselves, but it was good that Arizona could talk to Teddy, to Tim. And she'd talked to Tim herself. But they still needed to talk to each other. It didn't have to happen tonight, though. It didn't even need to happen anytime soon. Because she wasn't lying - she wanted a baby, but more than that, she wanted Arizona's baby. So she'd wait until her partner was ready. And if she never got ready, they'd still have a happy, wonderful life with each other.

"Of course," Arizona said quietly, smiling and leaning into her. There was no space between them, their dancing form completely nonexistent, but she was in Callie's arms and she couldn't care less about what they looked like. Warm lips pressed against her hair and she squeezed the hips in her hands. "I saw you today, with Ruby. You're amazing with kids, Calliope."

"I don't want just any baby," Callie interjected before Arizona could give her another out. "I want the best baby, which is yours, or no baby." She decisively leaned back to meet teary blue eyes, framing her face with both hands. "But if you think I'm getting knocked up anytime soon, you're crazy. Because we are both brilliant surgeons and it is not the time to have a baby. So this is me _not_ ever pushing you. And if we never have kids, we'll still have an amazing, awesome life together, right? And we already have the big house, but we can get dogs…"

"Ooh, can we get chickens too? I have a weird thing for chickens."

Callie's smile was amused. "And chickens," she added gamely. "As long as we're doing it together, I'm going to love whatever life we have."

Arizona blinked and tears broke free, the fingers at Callie's waist winding tighter into the fabric of her dress. "I am _so_ in love with you. You know that, right? Please know that…" she pleaded. "Because I will spend the rest of my life telling you that."

"Sweetheart, I know that. Of course I know that," Callie promised, kissing her softly. "Now, come on," she coaxed. "We're getting married, we're young, we're hot, we are sexy, and we are dancing. Let's celebrate!" Thumbs brushed tears away from her eyes, pleased to see her smile. "There's my girl. My gorgeous, incredible, _awesome_ girl."

The kiss she laid on her wasn't entirely appropriate for the setting, but Arizona couldn't care less. Because Callie was right. They were hot, sexy, engaged, and _alive_. They had every reason in the world to celebrate. So she threw her arms around her woman and kissed the hell out of her. The song changed to some pop song that none of them knew but the beat was fast and Arizona was smiling as she let herself be spun, catching sight of Alex at the DJ booth. She was a happily engaged lesbian woman, but sometimes she could kiss him.

The floor flooded with people at the faster dance song, keeping them from getting space between them. Neither of them hated being face to face and smiling, though. It enabled Arizona to keep stealing kisses from the grinning Latina in front of her. The packed flood quickly ratcheted the heat up too and they were soon sweating.

"I think I need another drink," Arizona leaned in to yell, the only way she could be sure Callie heard her, stealing another kiss for good measure.

Alex slid out of the crowd to fill her spot dancing with Callie. "I got it, boss," he said with a wink, Callie putting one hand on his shoulder while his hands went to her hips.

Arizona just rolled narrowed eyes at him. "Watch the hands, Karev."

"It's not like you can stick me with Stark anymore," he shot back. When he'd learned that Arizona was getting Head of Peds he'd fallen to his knees and thrown both arms up into the air in his excitement. And there had been a strange moment where he'd looked like he was going to kiss her, but Callie's cracking knuckles had restored rationality before he'd made a grave mistake.

"I can give your surgeries to Little Grey or Stevens," Arizona challenged him.

That got her looks from Alex and Callie, the two protesting in unison, "Hey!"

"Whatever," Arizona said, rolling her eyes. "Just keep your hands off my fiancée," she ordered.

Alex scoffed, dancing easily with Callie, smirking when he noticed her eyes tracking Arizona off the floor. "Robbins being all possessive does it for you, does it?" he joked.

Callie laughed. "Alex, everything she does 'does it for me,'" she assured him.

"Have I said thanks for the headphones yet?"

Throwing her head back, she laughed again, one hand patting his chest. "Glad we could help. And, hey, thank you for helping get us out tonight. I think we all needed this today."

He nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, Torres. Today totally sucked."

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her for me," Callie said earnestly, leaning in to speak into his ear so she wouldn't have to yell.

"Hey, thanks for not getting yourself or Tim shot," he told her. "Cause she wouldn't have made it." Alex jumped when Callie kissed his cheek. "Watch it with that! I don't want to lose my surgeries!"

"I give inappropriate affection when I'm relieved," she said, laughing with a shrug. "Don't tell Arizona." She wasn't going to tell Alex that she'd also laid one on Tim. Not if mentioning it would get back to Arizona.

He agreed with a fervent nod and a relieved look. "Hell no! I'm not suicidal, Torres!"

"How about I buy you a drink?" Callie offered, grinning.

They had barely reached the table when Arizona slugged Alex sharply. "I saw that!"

"She kissed me! Quit hitting me!" he protested. "Hit her!"

Tim flushed suddenly and Callie offered a sheepish shrug. "You do need to stop doing that," he advised, leaning over to speak into her ear. He shot back up straight when Arizona looked their way.

Callie mouthed an apology and grimaced. "Arizona…"

"We're getting the next round," the blonde declared, Teddy, Tim, and Alex exchanging glances. Yang and Grey were still on the dance floor, completely oblivious to the rest of the group. Hooking an arm through Callie's, she escorted her to the bar.

The brunette leaned over the bar to yell their order, feeling Arizona's hands settle on her hips. "Babe," she started, turning back to her.

Arizona cut her off with a kiss, a slow meeting between their lips. Callie was surprised to see that she was smiling as they pulled away, Arizona still leaning into her. "You, my love, really do need to stop kissing men. You're going to give me a jealousy thing."

Callie stole another kiss, bumping her nose against Arizona's. "You have nothing to be jealous about," she promised. "I promise I will _try_ to stop kissing men." Her brown eyes were light with teasing.

"Calliope…"

Arizona's warning was cut off by the arrival of their drinks, Callie handing a few off to her and turning to smirk at her. "Trust me, babe. There was a time when making you jealous would have been the hottest thing I could imagine, but you being sure about us is _so_ much hotter," she promised.

"Then what's with that dress?" the blonde questioned, returning her smirk. "Because you can't tell me you're not wearing that to make me jealous!"

Callie grinned down at herself. "You like this dress! This dress is hot!"

"Exactly!" Arizona crowed. "You're hot and the dress is hot! And I doubt many of the people in here are blind, Calliope."

"But I don't want any of them."

"That doesn't mean they don't want you!" countered the blonde. Calliope Torres was hot. And she doubted that she was the only one in the bar that had imagined getting her naked tonight. But she was the only one with a shot at that. Much less an entirely accurate mental picture to tide her over in the meantime. And she was the one who would actually be taking the entirely sexy black dress off of her at the end of the night.

Laughing, Callie set her group of glasses on the table, the others reaching for theirs. "Did I ever tell you that George took almost two weeks to call me after I asked him out?" She wasn't sure why this was an appropriate comment, but she had some slight hope that it would reassure Arizona. Not _every_ man out there wanted her.

Simultaneously, Alex and Tim choked on their drinks and Teddy froze with her own at her lips, eyes wide. Arizona's jaw dropped open. "What?" Tim questioned dumbly. "You had to ask _him_ out?"

"Seriously?" Teddy added in disbelief.

"Idiot," Arizona muttered, adding her two cents to the discussion.

Alex shook his head, blinking. "That guy took _weeks _to call you back? _That_ guy? What the hell is wrong with that guy?"

Rolling her eyes, Callie took a sip of her wine. "It's not like he didn't have other options, you guys. Remember Izzie? Actually, a lot of the girls there had a crush on him."

"I think I'm going to punch that guy when we go back to work," Alex declared, scowling.

"Me too," agreed Arizona. "And Izzie."

"I appreciate it," Callie chimed in quickly, "but I don't want either of you getting fired. It was a long time ago, George is an idiot, all that stuff…" She pulled Arizona into her side, turning the blonde to lean back against her and wrapping an arm around her. "And I'm definitely trading up in the spouse department."

"Damn right," Tim agreed with a grin, lifting his glass in a toast, the rest of them holding theirs up at well. "To the brides to be!"

It was a testament to the success of the plan to get her to relax that Arizona didn't immediately notice that Callie wasn't at her side after all the toasting and drinking and coming and going from the dance floor. By the time she noticed, Callie wasn't even at the table. Arizona went stiff as soon as she _did_ notice, breath coming short until she spotted her partner in the middle of the floor, her arms over her head as she danced to the fast beat. And there were probably a dozen people between where she was dancing and where Arizona was sitting at their high top table but Callie's eyes were on her, her smile just for her.

And then hands slipped across the smooth black fabric covering the Latina's hips and Arizona's breath was short for an entirely different reason as Callie's smirking smile went teasing. She didn't linger in the touch though, moving away from the hands without missing a beat. Instead, she lowered one arm and crooked two fingers at Arizona, drawing her out of her seat helplessly. Anywhere Callie led, she would follow. Willingly. Even happily, eagerly.

Without bothering to even pretend about her intentions, Arizona slid her own hands across the spot others had touched. It didn't matter, _they_ didn't matter. No one in this club had a chance with Calliope Torres, no matter what they tried to touch. Callie was going home with _her_, was going to be in _her _bed tonight, and every other night of their lives. Because they were in love, getting married.

"Thinking hard?" Callie's warm voice cut through her thoughts and she blinked, smiling at her. Instead of answering though, she rose onto her toes and kissed her.

"Not thinking," murmured Arizona between kisses, words dragging against Callie's lips. "Dancing. No more thinking, no more talking, not today." They had tomorrow, and the rest of their lives, to talk.

Callie took another kiss and pressed her in closer, dancing them both to the music without a thought for anyone else in the place. Her whole world was right in front of her, wrapped up safely in her arms, moving against her body. And they were going to be okay. There would undoubtedly be fights, they were both imperfect people, but they loved each other, they would make it work, no matter what.

"Dancing, and then I'm taking you home," Arizona continued, laughing as Callie spun her suddenly, catching her with her back to the brunette's front, the Ortho surgeon's arms snug around her as her kisses found a new target on the side of her neck.

"Yeah?" breathed Callie, her knees behind Arizona's making them bend as she moved them.

The blonde just nodded. "I'm taking you to bed," she declared. Her breathing went short when Callie sucked on the skin behind her ear, humming against her. "I'm going to fuck you."

The statement was gasped out, barely audible through the pulsing beat of the loud music but Callie heard it clearly, moaning against her neck. "That's enough dancing, don't you think?" she requested, feeling her knees tremble. "We should go home."

Arizona couldn't help a chuckle, grateful for the evidence that she wasn't the only one of them feeling needy for their connection. "We drove. What about everybody else?"

Scoffing against her neck, Callie nipped at her skin. Her own control was nearing its end. A simple push and she could be okay with sex in a dirty bar bathroom as long as it was soon. Hell, they'd met in a dirty bar and barely made it out the doors before they were having sex the first time. "We live in a major city, Arizona. There are taxis."

That sounded like impeccable logic if she'd ever heard it and Arizona deliberately ground her ass back into Callie's hips. Callie had a big thing for her ass and made no apologies for it. Which was _fine _with her. The strong hands squeezing her sides felt nice. And the abrupt spin and blistering kiss were nice too.

"We are leaving," Callie declared hoarsely. "Now." Without waiting for a protest that wasn't coming, Callie was immediately dragging her fiancée off the dance floor.

Cristina Yang laughed as the pair charged past her, Arizona nearly outpacing Callie instead of letting herself be pulled along meekly. "That's not going to be a quiet house tonight," she commented dryly to Meredith, both of them laughing drunkenly a second later.

"Think we should warn Alex?"

Looking at each other and then at the retreating couple, their laughter grew louder. "Nah," they declared in unison, forgetting all about the other women as the song changed.

* * *

><p>Not edited as severely as usual - let me know if you spot any typos!<p> 


	34. Chapter 27 pt 2

This had been one of the longest days of her life, her relationship tested, her life threatened - hell, she'd survived a run in with a rampaging shooter today, but she might die _right_ _now_ if Arizona didn't let her come. But the blonde seemed content to keep her on the edge, pleading for it.

Back arching, Callie tightened her hand in blonde hair and tugged, not caring if she was making a mess of it. "Arizona, _please_," she gasped, not above begging at this point.

The other woman just hummed out her denial and wrapped both arms more fully around trembling thighs while she entertained herself between them. Arizona couldn't help smiling when she felt a heel kick lightly against her back, Callie's impatience amusing her. But the begging and moaning was like music to her ears. She wasn't ready for it to end.

"Please, Arizona," Callie requested again, shifting her head against the blonde's head. "Please, I want to see you. I want to look at you when you make me come," she panted breathlessly, feeling another peak coming at her. And again, Arizona backed it off by withdrawing, though this time she pulled away completely, lifting her head and meeting Callie's dark, blazing gaze. "Please," whispered Callie for good measure.

Diving forward, Arizona drove her back against their bed, part of her surprised that they'd reached the bedroom at all, Callie's fingers still in her hair to pull her down into a kiss. Knowing Callie was tasting herself on her tongue made her lightheaded, but she persevered, fingers sliding home in a single hard thrust that made Callie buck under her. She forced herself to tear away from the kiss, both of them breathing hard. "Don't close your eyes," she ordered hoarsely. Her hips backed the next deep plunge, Callie moaning loudly and biting down hard on her lip, but she kept her eyes open, maintaining the contact with deep blue eyes.

Breathing was a harsh gasp, and Callie could feel her eyes burning with the need to blink, squeeze closed. But she didn't, staring into Arizona's eyes, dragging fingers through her hair and across her neck, her cheek, brushing a thumb across her bottom lip, hissing when the blonde sucked it between her lips, nipping on the tip of her finger lightly

"I love you," Arizona gasped out, feeling her fingers gripped tight inside as Callie's orgasm became unavoidable, the Latina gasping out her name as she tumbled into oblivion. Coming back slowly, Arizona was stroking her face and hair gently as she caught her breath, smiling hazily. "Hey," the blonde greeted her softly. "You okay?"

Callie moaned from her chest, the noise screaming satisfaction. "Better than okay," she confirmed, throwing an arm and leg across Arizona's body beside her, tucking her face contently in the side of her lover's neck. "Give me a few minutes and I'll make you feel good, I promise."

Arizona smiled but just hummed to herself, trailing fingers through dark hair. She was perfectly happy to spend the night in Callie's arms. That was enough for her. "No hurry," she said softly. "We've got all the time in the world."

Moaning her agreement, Callie nuzzled closer, the hand on Arizona's side moving to drag across the bumps of her ribs under her skin, lingering on one particular spot until the contact made the blonde squirm. "You're ticklish there?" Callie asked, surprised. "It's a scar, isn't it? It's still sensitive?"

Arizona shook her head against the pillow. "No, not ticklish," she answered. "Wait, how'd you know I have a scar there?"

A warm chuckle and a soft kiss against her skin were her answer, Callie not lifting her head. "We have been together for a while now," she reminded her partner. "And this isn't the first time I've seen you naked, thank God."

Arizona laughed, twitching against Callie's soft circles on her side against the patch of roughened scar tissue. "But it's so little. Most people don't even notice it."

"I would hope no one else gets so close to your boobs," reasoned the Latina dryly, amused. At only a few finger widths below Arizona's left breast, that left the scar firmly within what she considered _her _exclusive territory. "But do you seriously think there's a mark on your body I don't know?" she asked, tone the same. "Because there's not." Callie pecked a kiss to the freckle right below the blonde's hairline at the back of her neck.

Clearing her throat, Arizona shifted a little against the sheets. The thought of someone, of Callie, memorizing her like that - it was kind of awesome. And now that she was thinking about it, she felt confident she could do the same to Calliope's body - find every mark, every scar, every blemish. Because she loved every single one of them. "Yeah? Prove it," she challenged, her voice low.

Callie smiled as she lifted her head, brushing blonde hair back from her face. "Oh, it's on, babe," she agreed warmly. "I'll just start at the top and work my way down, alright?" Arizona just bit her lip and Callie kissed her softly before leaning up on her elbows to move blonde hair aside from the very top of her head.

"You've got a little scar here, which is from… a curling iron?" guessed Callie, smoothing her fingers lightly over the tiny smooth scar.

Arizona laughed. Callie leaning over her like this was practically smothering her in breasts but she wasn't going to complain. "Oh, Calliope, curling iron is your best guess?" she teased, imitating a buzzer sound. "I'm sorry, that's incorrect. The correct answer is tree branch," Arizona corrected her, playing up her game show host impression. "I was climbing trees with Tim when we were about eight or nine and wasn't looking and ran the top of my head into a pointy branch."

Callie murmured and let the hair fall back into place. "I bet it bled a lot."

"Oh God, my mom was freaking _out_," agreed Arizona with a laugh. "And we were supposed to be inside doing homework so we got grounded for leaving the house too."

Squeezing her gently, Callie smiled as she moved down her partner's body. "My little rebel," she murmured, her loving affection clear in her voice. She dragged her tongue across a thin line under the blonde's hairline, leading from the back of her neck toward her ear. Callie finished with a light nip of her earlobe. Arizona smelled like smoke and alcohol from the bar, and sex from after the bar, but her skin was soft and smooth and she just couldn't help herself.

"That one _is_ a curling iron," said Arizona before she could guess, biting her lip and grinning as Callie's face popped into view over hers. "That's all you got?" she challenged, leaning up when Callie kissed her softly.

The brunette just scoffed when the kiss ended, flipping over onto Arizona's other side and kissing the small scar that had started this endeavor. "This one… it looks a little like road rash, actually."

"Ding, ding, ding," Arizona confirmed, laughing.

Callie's head came up quickly, brows furrowed. "What? Really? What happened? Did you have a motorcycle and never tell me? Because that would be kind of hot…" She swallowed, licking her lips unconsciously. "Kind of _really_ hot," she corrected herself slowly.

Laughing, Arizona combed her fingers through dark hair. "Good to know, but no, it was Tim's dirt bike and I was eleven."

"Okay, so more cute than hot, but it seems like Tim got you hurt a lot," observed Callie dryly, circling the mark with her fingertips.

"Well, technically, I took the dirt bike without asking," Arizona confessed, giggling.

Callie shook her head, laughing herself. She palmed Arizona's side, sliding her hand back and forth across her flesh. She could touch her forever. "You were quite the little delinquent, weren't you? How have I never heard these stories before? I need to call and ask your mom for some more - they sound like good dirt."

Smacking a hand to a bare side, Arizona's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare! My mom actually never found out about that one and she would _kill_ me."

"You know you're an adult, right?" Callie teased. "You could get a motorcycle of your very own now." She abruptly shook her head, expression going serious as her hand tightened against the blonde's side. After everything that had happened today, she couldn't contemplate not being in this bed with Arizona. "Except that you cannot get a motorcycle," she declared flatly. "Because drivers in this city don't look where they're going and I will not have some idiot running you over."

Arizona nodded without argument. "Okay. No motorcycle," she agreed mildly. She wouldn't do anything to take herself away from Callie, even if Tim's dirt bike hadn't put her off the idea long before. She could handle her heelies, but had no desire for anything larger.

Callie's smile was back immediately. "Okay, then, let's keep going, shall we?" Flipping Arizona's arm over, she kissed a pale mark on the inside of her forearm, studying the scar carefully. "I'm going to guess burn from an oven."

"Correct," confirmed the blonde with a laugh. "I worked in a pizza shop during undergrad. That was the one and only time I burned myself, though."

Callie's lips quirked against the mark and she dragged her mouth down to kiss Arizona's palm. "Nothing here," she declared happily, shifting back to Arizona's torso, dropping kisses down her stomach and the tops of her thighs, alternating sides as she worked her way down, saying every time, "Not here, or here." Arizona squirmed under the attention but didn't say anything as Callie bypassed her knees and continued down the length of her leg. "One here," Callie said, picking up her right foot and rubbing a thumb across the back of her heel. "What's the story here? The wheelie shoes?"

Arizona bit the inside of her lip, though she couldn't hide a smile. "No," she scoffed. "It was actually a pair of _really_ terrible shoes once when I was a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding."

Grimacing in sympathy, Callie rubbed the thin line. "Those must have been some killer shoes. Yikes."

The blonde leaned up on her elbows, meeting her partner's eyes with a smile. "So, head to toe. Are you done?" There had been one scar missed but she'd been impressed with her partner's recollection.

Callie gave her a smirk, kissing the inside of her ankle. "Arizona, I've put your legs over my shoulders _how_ many times and you still think I would miss one? The scar on the back of your left knee. It's shaped like a capital 'L' and I honestly have no clue what it could be from."

"It's another burn, but this one is from a weedeater motor," explained Arizona. "Me and Tim, to make money during the summer, we used to do yard work for the officers in the base housing and our weedeater didn't actually have a cover on the motor and I burned the back of my leg."

Moving up the bed, Callie pulled Arizona's leg over her shoulder more, turning her head to get a look at the mark. "You and Tim got hurt a lot," she observed, kissing the inside of her knee and moving up her leg slowly, hearing the blonde's breathing grow short with every inch of skin she covered. "Personally, I think you're much safer with me."

Arizona laughed, leaning back on her elbows as Callie's hair tickled the inside of her leg. The brunette gave no sign that she was moving from her spot, apparently content to lay there with Arizona's leg over her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure that's true. I wouldn't hate it if you stayed a little safer, though."

Callie's head cocked at the unexpected serious mention of the day's events, but just shifted up slightly. "Do you know what's here?" she asked, poking one finger deliberately to a spot right where leg became something else entirely.

Blinking at her and trying to fight a sudden blush, Arizona's mouth fell open. "Um, yeah?" She laughed and Callie felt her heart beat faster. She loved to make Arizona laugh.

"I don't think you do," hummed Callie, dipping her head to kiss the crease. "It's my favorite mark on you."

Blonde brows furrowed. "I don't have a scar there."

"I didn't say it was a scar. I said a mark," the Latina clarified. "You have a freckle right here," she said, indicating the spot with her finger again, deliberately tickling this time with a fingernail. It got her more laughter, the blonde's hips bucking beyond her control.

"I guess I know why it's your favorite," Arizona said a bit breathlessly as Callie dragged her nail over the spot again.

"No, I don't think you do," objected Callie with a smile. "It's not about placement." Dropping her head, Callie took a long, deliberate lick of Arizona's pussy, smacking her lips as she surfaced. "Someone's wet," she noticed, voice gone husky. As fun as teasing was, she was going to have to do something about that. "This freckle is my favorite because it's kind of shaped like a lopsided heart," she explained, having Arizona on her tongue tempering her desire to drag this out and setting her on fire for more of her lover. "It reminds me of our necklaces."

Blue eyes had gone dark but her expression softened and she reached one hand up to Callie's hair, stroking softly. "Oh, Calliope, that is so sw-_eet_!" Her voice abruptly went up in pitch as Callie's tongue went back to work on her without warning. At that moment, though, she couldn't care less if anyone else was home to hear Callie make her squeak. She didn't care if anyone heard Callie make her moan either. And when it happened, she didn't care the littlest bit if anyone heard Callie make her scream.

* * *

><p>On my way out the door to work, but I wanted to post this - and it's had literally no editing, so if you spot an errortypo, please let me know so I can fix it! Thank you!


	35. Chapter 28

Coffee in Arizona's brightly colored cups had become a standard thing with them, and Callie looked up with a smile already on her lips when one of the cups was planted in front of the chart she was reading at the nurses' station. "Hey, baby," she greeted her warmly, leaning up from her seat to steal a quick kiss.

"Hey." Arizona gave her a completely adorable dimpled grin and bobbed her eyebrows. "How's your morning going?" She leaned against the counter, heels rolling back and forth on her wheels.

Callie just shot her a look, eyebrow arching. "I know you're on those ridiculous shoes over there," she said. "And my morning is going fine until you break your ass."

"I'm not going to break my ass, Calliope," Arizona denied immediately. "I'm awesome!"

Laughing, Callie took a sip of her coffee as she went back to her chart. She heard the elevator arrive and someone approach the desk, but she turned her chair to get better light to inspect one of the x-rays in her case. The voice she heard greeting Arizona made her tense, though. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Dr. O'Malley or Dr. Torres. You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you? This place is so big, and I'm scared I'd get lost…"

Arizona just smiled personably, Callie turning on her chair even as the blonde gestured to her. "Dr. Torres, you have someone here to see you." The look on Callie's face was shocked and Arizona glanced beside her at the older woman, confused. "Callie…?"

"Mrs. O'Malley," Callie greeted her guest as she stood up. She wasn't sure how she managed it, her legs felt completely nerveless.

"Oh, Callie, there you are!" Mrs. O'Malley was around the counter in a flash and pulled Callie into a hug, the Latina giving her fiancée a thoroughly confused look, shaking her head. "How are you, dear? I can never get Georgie on the phone since you two moved here! And it's so much closer than Miami, you'd think I'd be able to get a visit every once in a while!"

Figuring out what was happening, who the woman hugging Callie was, Arizona tried to decide whether she should be upset or sympathetic. Because this poor woman clearly had no idea what had happened between her son and Callie.

Pulling out of the hug, Mrs. O'Malley eagerly rooted through her large handbag and scooped out a colorful scrap of knitted wool that shook out to become a green onesie. "And I hope it's not too presumptuous to hope there might be some use for this soon," she coaxed.

That was the cue for Arizona's much touted skill with her favorite shoes to abandon her, her arms pin wheeling wildly while her wheeled heels shot forward and landed her flat on her back _hard_, her head hitting the floor sharply a split second later.

"Arizona!" Callie was around her ex-mother-in-law in a heartbeat, one hand on the blonde's chest keeping her from getting up. "Don't move," she ordered when Arizona started trying to sit up. "You hit your head."

Groaning, Arizona reached behind her head with one hand, tentatively searching for blood in her hair. "I'm not bleeding."

"What happened to 'I won't break my ass, Calliope?'" Callie questioned, mimicking her partner's voice mockingly.

Arizona groaned again. "My voice does _not_ sound like that," she whined, grumbling.

"Sit up slowly," Callie coached, grimacing in sympathy when Arizona groaned. "How's your butt?"

"You know. It's awesome…"

Brown eyes rolled. "It _is_ awesome, but is it also _broken_?" Callie was suddenly having flashbacks to the recalcitrant patient Arizona had been when she'd been after the car accident.

Before she could figure out if it was or not, Mrs. O'Malley was leaning over Callie's shoulder and apologizing. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Gesturing to a nurse, Callie got Arizona up gingerly, pulling Arizona's arm around her shoulders. "Lean on me. It's okay." Arizona hissed painfully as she was lowered into a wheelchair. "Take her up to Radiology. I want a head CT and x-ray her hips. I want to make sure the coccyx isn't broken."

Protesting, Arizona grabbed her sleeve, the long sleeves of her t-shirt extending below the rolled sleeves of her lab coat. "Calliope, it's not-"

"Oh, no, you're going to CT and you're going to cooperate," Callie ordered sternly, giving the nurse a nod. "I'll be up in a few minutes to check on the scans." Leaning over, she dropped a kiss to the top of Arizona's blonde head. "Be good for the nurses," she requested, voice soft. The nurses loved Arizona.

Watching Arizona wheel toward the elevators, Callie only remembered Mrs. O'Malley's presence when the older woman sidled up beside her. "Is your friend going to be alright? I don't even know what happened. I'm so sorry I knocked her over. This bag is so big, sometimes I don't know where it's swinging."

"Oh, no," Callie sighed to herself, turning to face her. The other woman was still holding her homemade baby clothes. "Mrs. O'Malley, when, exactly, was the last time you talked to George?"

"It's been a few weeks, I suppose. Why? Is something going on?"

She and George had been separated for more than a year and a half, their divorce signed and sealed for at least eight months. Why his mother was still in the dark about it was a mystery to her. They'd been getting along with each other since he'd finally signed the papers and decided to stay in Seattle, but if he'd really not told his mother about the divorce, she was going to _kill_ him. Leaving this for her to do was completely unacceptable.

"Let me page George for you," Callie suggested, rounding the counter again to grab the phone, dialing her ex-husband's extension and hanging it up. The older woman looked confused and curious but there was no way Callie was going to speak up and explain. "How have the boys been?" George's brothers had always loved her.

"The boys are good. They're in Alaska, fishing, so I thought I'd use the break to visit you and Georgie," Mrs. O'Malley explained, still uncertain what Callie wasn't saying. "Dear…"

Before she could say anything more, George appeared from the elevator, drawing up short at the sight of his mother and Callie standing together at the lobby's nurses' station. Callie's expression was clearly furious. "Oh crap…"

"Yeah…" Callie agreed slowly, arms crossing her chest as she moved forward to talk to him out of earshot of Mrs. O'Malley. "You can deal with this, right? Because I've got to go check on Arizona up in CT."

He frowned. "Arizona? Is she okay?"

Callie couldn't help rolling her eyes. "She had a little tumble on those stupid shoes she loves. I made the nurse take her up for a scan because she hit her head and busted her butt."

"Glad she's okay," he said genuinely, the pair of them exchanging glances. "I hope I'm okay after this…"

Sighing, Callie glanced over her shoulder at Mrs. O'Malley. "We've been broken up for more than two years, George," she said, starting to feel freshly frustrated at him. "How could you not tell her?"

His shoulders slumped as he saw his mother watching them. "I'm sorry, Callie."

"Just fix it. Because Arizona and I are getting married and I'm tried of this stuff _still_ getting in our way," she told him, getting a tiny thrill at watching his eyes go wide. They'd been engaged for six months and had told their friends at the hospital, but George O'Malley wasn't on that list.

"You're getting married? Oh my God!" Callie just eyed him, trying to read his expression. "Hey, I'm happy for you," he promised earnestly. "Would it be weird if I hugged you?" he checked before he tried it.

Callie grimaced, shaking her head. "Yeah, a little bit." She nodded toward the counter behind her. "Just take care of this, okay?" She sighed, taking another look at Mrs. O'Malley. She was genuinely fond of the O'Malley matriarch, had spent a lot of time with her when George's father had been hospitalized before his death. She knew she would be devastated to learn that they'd broken up. But there was no one to blame for their divorce. Callie had blamed George, blamed Izzie, but she knew that the marriage was a mistake. Nothing could have stopped them breaking up. And she'd found Arizona. She had no regrets about their divorce.

"I didn't want to hurt her," George confessed quietly.

"Me neither." Callie's gaze shifted to him. "But she can't keep thinking we're together. She's making us baby clothes." George grimaced. "Just be honest. That's all we can do."

He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, thanks, Callie. You go."

She left him behind with a glance over her shoulder, pushing the button for the Radiology floor. Arizona was being wheeled out as she reached the imaging chamber and Callie took over pushing her into the observation room to check the monitors. "Anything?" she questioned the tech.

"She's clean. No bleeds," he said, bored.

"Can I get out of this wheelchair now?" Arizona requested impatiently.

Callie flatly answered, "No."

"My butt feels better!" protested the blonde, standing up despite the sharp look her fiancée sent her. "Come on," she prompted, dragging Callie out of the booth by the hand. "You can check it for me later," she promised breathily, wisely lowering her voice to avoid being overheard. In spite of her reassurance, she was still walking slowly, working a limp out of her limbs. "So…"

"You can ask," Callie told her, rolling her eyes at the attempt at veiled curiosity.

"How's your mother-in-law?"

"I don't know, I haven't talked to your mom this week," Callie answered her with a smirk.

Arizona laughed, lacing their fingers. "Okay, I'll admit it, nicely done, Calliope. How's your _former_ mother-in-law?"

"Aside from being completely unaware that I divorced her son, she's fine," Callie said with a sigh. "But she's going to be heartbroken."

Arizona studied her features as they walked, pulling on Callie's arm as she leaned up to kiss her cheek. "I'm sorry. Really."

"George should have told her after I left. It's going to hurt her." She shook off the morose expression, pressing the button to summon the elevator. "But it's George's problem now. You're the one I have to worry about."

"I'm fine, Calliope. So maybe I walk funny for a few days." She grinned wickedly, dimples deepening as she shot a look sideways at her lover. "That isn't the first time _that's_ happened."

Callie had to bite her lip, her eyes dutifully facing forward. "You…" Arizona had a flirty streak a mile wide. She loved it. "Just wait until I get you home," she said promisingly. The elevator they were waiting on arrived and she ushered Arizona in. The blonde made no protest as Callie crowded her into the wall, voice dropping as she boxed her lover in. "I'll want to make sure your butt stays good."

"Oh, Calliope, you know my butt is _fine_," Arizona answered, her own tone teasing. "You love my butt."

"I do," Callie whispered. "I really, _really_ do. And you're being much too naughty for work."

Arizona just laughed. "You're the one holding me up against the wall."

"When do you get off?"

Grinning at the unintentional phrasing, Arizona stole a kiss as they both heard the elevator slow down and Callie took a step back. They were a happily engaged couple (who just happened to be flirting like teenagers), but they were still at work. "Hopefully about fifteen minutes after you get home."

Callie gave her a glare, forcing her lungs to draw in a deep breath and hold it. This woman was going to be the death of her. "Arizona…"

"My last surgery should get done by four," Arizona had pity on her, answering her normally as a few nurses filed onto the elevator and it started moving up again.

"I've got some research to do in the lab, but I'll meet you in the locker room? We can ride home together."

Arizona just scoffed. "I think you mean _I'll_ come get you from the lab," she corrected her with a cheerful grin as the elevator stopped on the next floor, holding the door open for their fellow passengers to vacate the car. "You always lose track of time in there."

"I'm making cartilage from jell-o!" Callie offered defensively.

"And that's admirable, but I'm sure I can manage to distract you," promised the perky surgeon as she let the door go and pulled the stop button, surprising Callie. The smile slid down to become a serious, earnest expression.

"What? Are you okay?" asked Callie, her concern immediate. "How's your head? Does it hurt?"

Arizona caught her hands when she reached for her, the blonde kissing the back of her hand. "That's what I was going to ask you," she said softly. "How are you? I know seeing George's mother can't be easy for you…"

Blinking in surprise, Callie's brow furrowed as she grew confused. She hadn't even thought twice about the situation going on down on the second floor. Arizona was her priority. "What? Arizona…"

"It has to be hard, that's all I'm saying," Arizona interjected. "And if you need to talk…"

Callie smiled abruptly, freeing one hand to cup her partner's cheek, stepping close to her. "I'm okay," she said. "Really. I don't have anything left to say about George. But if I need to talk, _you_ are the person I will talk to," she promised. "Do you think I'm hiding something from you?"

"No," said Arizona immediately, shaking her head. "Not at all." She smiled against Callie's thumb as it brushed across her lips. "I do think there are things we don't talk about much, though."

A frown creased the brunette's brow. She was under the impression that they talked about everything. And honestly. It was refreshing, freeing, knowing that she could tell Arizona anything without being afraid or judged. "Such as?"

Arizona took a deep breath, able to feel her head pounding. "Like your parents," she answered.

Callie blinked again. This was an unexpected change of subject. They didn't talk about her parents because most days, aside from a single stab of occasional regret that they couldn't get past themselves to be her _parents_, she didn't think about her parents. "What? Arizona, I honestly don't think about them. It's been a long time, it's not something that bothers me…"

"Do they know you're getting married?" Arizona interjected, her tone unintentionally short. A deep breath and she softened. She never wanted to hurt Callie, with anything. Her only instinct was to protect her, take care of her, and support her as much as Callie would let her. But this, the issue of her contrary parents was something she wasn't sure how to protect her from or take care of. So she just hoped to be supportive.

Callie's shocked expression was back on her face, bottom lip falling open. "Do they know we're getting married?" she echoed. "No. They don't know." Chewing on her bottom lip, Callie met her eyes, seeing the concern, the love there. "When would I have told them?"

"Do you want to tell them?" asked Arizona softly, not sure how much of a push was too much. Her parents had been wonderful, supportive and loving and loyal. And she was grateful to them every day for that. She wanted to be that for Callie if she needed it.

Dark eyes studied her face, sliding over every detail. "Do you want me to tell them?" countered Callie, her own voice gentle. "Because I'll tell them that I'm marrying you. I am _not_ ashamed…"

"I don't think that, Calliope…" Arizona denied instantly.

"I know you don't," Callie smiled, "I don't care what my parents think, I don't care if they're there…"

"You don't want your dad at your wedding?" She didn't believe that for a second. Callie had grown up traditional, Catholic. There was no way she hadn't dreamed about her father walking her down the aisle. And to have two weddings where that hadn't happened…? She couldn't believe that didn't bother her partner.

Both hands framed the blonde's face and Callie leaned in, kissing her softly, almost chastely, instead of answering immediately. "The only thing I care about is that you're the one waiting for me at the end of the aisle," she whispered, smoothing her thumbs under blue eyes. She could live in those eyes. And she lived for them. "Okay? If it really bugs you, I swear I will think about talking to my parents, but you don't have to worry about me. As long as you're there, that's all I need."

Nodding, Arizona considered her for a long moment and snaked one hand around her to push the stop button back into place and start the car moving again. "Okay. Just promise me…"

"If I need to talk, or decide to call them, you're the one I'm coming to," Callie agreed before she could finish the request, taking another kiss and smiling. The doors dinged before they opened and Callie stepped back slowly, freeing Arizona from the wall again.

A dimpled smile made Callie smile and the blonde bumped her with an elbow, resuming their playful atmosphere. "So, I'll come by the lab and pick you up?" she checked.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Callie said, tucking her hands in the pockets of her lab coat as Arizona winked and kicked off on her wheels. Callie had to bite back a rebuke at the sight, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She loved that woman the _most._

* * *

><p>Lurkers be lurking again... :P<p> 


	36. Chapter 29

Just as Arizona had anticipated, Callie completely lost track of time, only looking up from her microscope when Arizona knocked lightly on the doorframe. "You look hot being all studious like that," she commented, smiling across the room at her.

Arizona was looking pretty good herself, in Callie's humble opinion. She'd ditched her scrubs for clingy jeans and a sky blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up, while her wavy hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. "Look who's talking." Callie stood up to greet her with a kiss, glad when Arizona stretched it out well beyond the scope of a normal greeting kiss. "Mmh, you miss me?" Callie questioned in a hum, wrapping both arms around her fiancée's hips and lightly palming her butt.

"Always. You checking on my ass?" Arizona teased, smirking and doing nothing to remove the hands from her backside.

Callie nodded, faking earnestness. "I have a vested interest - as your doctor _and_ your fiancée." Arizona laughed happily and Callie obliged her with a smile before she leaned in to catch her eyes. "Seriously, though. You feel okay? No dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea?"

"No ma'am, Dr. Torres," Arizona dutifully reported even as she rolled her eyes. She'd had a headache for about an hour after the fall, but Karev had enough hangovers that he kept ibuprofen at hand to take the edge off and he'd surrendered some to her when she'd ordered him to. And telling Callie that her head had hurt would just end up with her back in CT. "I'm fine, Calliope…" She snatched a pecking kiss. "But I expect you'll want to thoroughly check everything for yourself when we get home," she prompted, resuming their flirting.

Callie's eyes darkened at the thought. "Definitely," she agreed, voice slightly hoarse.

Leaving the lab, Arizona wound their fingers together, resuming holding her hand after Callie had changed into her own street clothes. Coming off the elevators though, Callie stopped suddenly, dragging Arizona to an awkward halt. Searching for a reason for the sudden pause, Arizona spotted Mrs. O'Malley in the row of chairs that lined the wall, her sad eyes already on them.

"Calliope, do you want to talk to her?" Arizona offered. "She was important to you, even if you and George didn't work out." And she refused to be the jealous partner that resented Callie trying to have a conversation with her past. Callie's head turned to look at her, searching her face for any trace of disingenuousness. "Really," prompted Arizona, giving her a little push. If Callie didn't want to talk to or about her parents, that was fine. But this was something she clearly wanted, maybe needed, to do. She wasn't going to stand in her way, just support her however she could.

"You don't mind?"

Arizona just shook her head. "I'm going to get us some coffees." She grinned widely. "And a doughnut for myself."

"A treat for busting your ass?" Callie teased, laughing when Arizona immediately went grumpy. She was marrying the cutest woman alive. Sometimes it still surprised her that she'd fallen for someone so bright and shiny. But Arizona was amazing, stunning, even _awesome_. She loved everything about her. And she knew that she was damn lucky to have her.

"No bear claw for you, then!" She did accept Callie's apologetic pinch on her butt though, shooting her a grin over her shoulder as she turned around to go to the coffee cart.

Mrs. O'Malley was already on her feet when Callie turned back to her, the surgeon's smile fading slowly as she moved closer. "Mrs. O'Malley, I'm _so_ sorry that George never told you. I thought he had."

"What happened to you two?" she pleaded almost desperately for answers, an explanation. "You were happy once!"

Callie sighed. "I wish we had been. But George was suffering and I was there." The older woman flinched and Callie felt her heart break with sympathy. "He'd just lost his dad and we'd just started dating, and I was crazy about him. But we made a mistake when we got married. We were never going to last, even if he hadn't slept with Izzie. And we never meant to hurt you." She thought of how things had fallen apart, how her life had come back together in Seattle. Arizona. Alex and Teddy and Tim and all of their friends. Her dream job. "But I think we're both happier now. I know I am." Her smile was tinged with sadness. "George and I don't talk much anymore, but I genuinely hope he is. Izzie's still here, so they're probably happy."

"Izzie is not his wife," Mama O'Malley declared. "In God's eyes, _you_ are his wife, Callie." She picked up Callie's left hand suddenly, gesturing to the ring on her finger, Arizona's ring. "You still wear your ring."

Looking down at her hand, she had to fight back a hoarse laugh. The ring George had given her was a pittance, bought last minute on the Vegas strip before they'd gone into a cheesy theme chapel and let an Elvis impersonator marry them. The ring she was wearing now was aesthetically more beautiful, but it also held more meaning for her. Because Arizona's proposal, even blurted and spontaneous as it was, meant more to her than her relationship with George had. Her life, her future with Arizona, was symbolized in the ring she wore on her finger. In the short time she'd worn it, George's ring had always felt more like a reminder - oh, yes, they _had_ actually gone to Vegas on a pathetic whim and gotten married.

Clearing her throat, Callie shook her head, still looking at her ring. "I gave George that ring back before I left Miami," she said gently, not sure how to break this woman's heart again. Because she knew it would. "I'm engaged." And the O'Malleys (like the Torres) were Catholic. Nothing about this would be acceptable to her. Not George's infidelity, not their divorce, and definitely not her relationship with another woman.

The older woman's eyes went wide and she swallowed. "Callie…"

"Mrs. O'Malley, I'm sorry. And I loved being an O'Malley for a little while, but I'm happy now. For the first time, really. I'm really, _really_ happy. But I understand if you can't be happy for me. Really, I do."

"Does Georgie know?" She was clearly surprised.

Callie fought back a smile as she remembered her ex's reaction from that very morning. "Yes, he does." George wasn't the person she ran to talk to anymore, but she was still glad that he knew. It had taken so long for him to let her move on, but she was happy now. So, so happy.

"Who is he? Is he someone you met here?"

Callie took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself. She'd come out to her parents, her friends, but this was something else entirely. She didn't know how to do this. "Well…"

"Calliope…" Arizona's voice interrupted her.

Smiling hesitantly, Mrs. O'Malley looked around Callie at the new arrival. "You're Callie's friend from this morning. I knocked you over. Are you feeling okay, dear?" She was genuinely concerned and Callie glanced between them. Mama O'Malley had always been such a sweetheart.

"Mrs. O'Malley, this is… Dr. Robbins," Callie introduced them awkwardly, suddenly unbelievably nervous. And the cock of Arizona's eyebrows hinted that she might have just messed it up. Damn it.

Arizona just smiled, a look that was simply polite to someone who didn't know her well. Which Callie did. She was definitely going to be in trouble when they got home. "Mrs. O'Malley, it's so nice to meet you. I'm so sorry we didn't get to officially meet this morning," Arizona said sweetly, offering her hand.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm so glad you're alright. I didn't mean to hit you with my bag like that."

"Oh, no, it wasn't your fault…"

"She has wheels on her shoes," Callie chimed in without thinking, Arizona shooting a narrow look at her. Foot, meet mouth. So much for trying to get herself out of trouble.

Arizona cleared her throat pointedly and the blonde nodded to Mrs. O'Malley. "The kids like my shoes!" she said a bit defensively. "But it really wasn't your fault."

Without prompting, Mrs. O'Malley noted the tray with two coffees in Arizona's other hand, a pastry bag wedged carefully between the two cups. "I don't want to keep you girls from anything," she said, though it clearly made her sad to let Callie go. There was nothing more Callie could do to help her. She wasn't going to get back together with George. She could explain about Arizona, but it would only hurt the older woman.

"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. O'Malley," Arizona offered politely. "Dr. Torres…" She didn't look back, just turned on her heel (non wheeled for once) and left Callie looking after her.

Turning to follow her, Callie grimaced. She was definitely up shit creek. Damn it. Quickstepping, she caught the blonde's free hand before she made it out the door, trotting to keep up with her. "Arizona, babe, come on…"

"Oh, did you need something, Dr. Torres?" The blonde disengaged their hands to get the car keys out of her purse, Callie falling a few steps behind her in disappointed surprise.

Arizona couldn't help smirking when she heard Callie mutter, "Damn it, George," under her breath. She wasn't really mad, but Callie was making this way too easy. Callie sulked in the car the whole way home, sneaking quick glances at her when she thought she wouldn't notice, keeping her fringe of dark hair in front of her eyes. All Arizona had to do was keep quiet, Callie was doing the rest herself.

Callie was grumbling when Arizona went straight past Tim and Alex watching basketball on the couch and into the kitchen, the two men looking left to watch Arizona leave and then right to look at Callie lingering just inside the front door.

"Dude, what did you do?" Alex asked curiously, already grinning. His smile didn't slip when she glared at him.

"Shut it, Karev."

Tim leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Did something happen?" He looked more concerned than Alex did, but still curious and intrigued. It was rare to see them short or angry with each other.

Callie sighed, shaking her head. "I, my, George's mother, my ex-mother-in-law, came by the hospital and ran into us this morning. And I've kind of _constantly_ been putting my foot in it all day since then…" She bit her lip, catching a glimpse of Arizona moving through the open kitchen door. "I think she's mad at me."

"She didn't look mad," Tim offered supportively while Alex just stifled his laughs into ill-disguised coughs.

Brown eyes rolled. "She's calling me 'Dr. Torres,'" she admitted, discouraged.

Tim grimaced, conceding, "Yeah, she might be mad at you…"

"I'll try and remember to clean the crumbs off the couch for you after the game," offered Alex mockingly.

Callie growled at him and Tim leaned back in case she felt the need to dive over him at Karev. There was no way she was going to sleep on the couch over this. Hell no. She'd go back to the hospital and find Mrs. O'Malley and tell her straight out who Arizona was to her before she'd sleep alone tonight.

But first…

Arizona was at the sink when Callie slipped into the kitchen and kicked the doorstop out of the way so the door swung closed behind her, the blonde's back to the rest of the room, but Callie kept her distance, not sure the reaction she'd get if she went to touch her. "I really did well today, didn't I?" she mused, moving forward slowly but keeping the kitchen island between them. "Arizona, I'm sorry. I love you. More than anything, I love _you_. And I should have told Mrs. O'Malley who you are to me. Because I am going to marry you. But I don't know how to say, 'oh, hey, not only did I divorce your son, but I'm also into girls, and this is my fiancée and the love of my life,' and not break her heart worse than I already did…"

Arizona turned slowly and leaned back against the sink, not bothering to hide a smile. Callie wanted to present a hardcore, badass persona, but really could be too sweet. But she wasn't looking at Arizona, speaking instead to the countertop between them. "Calliope, you don't have to apologize to me," she said.

Callie's head came up to lock eyes with her. "But I didn't - I should have…"

"It's okay."

Blinking, Callie kept her cautious distance. "Really? Because you seemed kind of pissed."

"I was trying to be funny…"

"Well, then you suck at jokes…"

"Hey, listen. Coming out is important. It's everything. With your family, with your friends. And I know the family thing is rough for you, but if you tried to hide me from them, I'd kick your ass." Callie couldn't help a smile, biting her lip. She couldn't hide how she felt about Arizona even if she wanted to. "But coming out to your ex-husband's extremely Catholic mom? Not necessary. Not for you. And certainly not for me! So, it's okay."

Callie let out a big breath of relief and smiled. "Thank you."

Nodding, Arizona smirked. "I do _not_ suck at jokes…" Callie took a few slow steps toward her, drawn in like moth to flame. Arizona was like gravity - everything in her called to Callie, pulled her in. "And you do not glance as sneakily as you like to think you do, Calliope." She shifted against the counter as Callie moved in closer, wincing as the edge hit her still-bruised butt.

Noticing the flinch, Callie slid both hands across her lover's hips and down the outsides of her thighs. "It still hurts?" she asked considerately.

Arizona shrugged. Nothing much hurt when Callie looked at her like _that_. "I just hit it on the corner. No big."

Strong hands slipped around the back of her legs, Callie bending her knees slightly to lift Arizona to the counter behind her, the blonde unable to hold back a squeak at the sudden movement. "Okay?" Callie checked, her own stomach pressing against the counter as she pushed forward into the space between Arizona's opening knees.

"Of course," Arizona agreed as if it was a stupid question, which it was. Just to emphasize her answer, she curled her calves around Callie's hips. "I like being up here. It makes me taller than you." Both hands rose to trace through long, dark waves of hair, smiling when it drew a moan from Callie, the Latina leaning her head into the contact.

Callie considered her own viewpoint, the height advantage putting her at eyelevel with Arizona's chest. Which was _okay_ with her. "And the view is pretty spectacular from where I'm standing too," she agreed, leaning in to pop the top two buttons of Arizona's shirt with her teeth. "Even better now."

"Oh, you're an evil woman!" Arizona said, feeling a bit breathless as Callie's face buried itself in her chest, hands on her hips pulling her to the edge of the countertop to bring them even closer.

Callie lifted her lips from skin only enough to speak, her breath warm and wet inside Arizona's shirt. "How's that? I've got my face in your cleavage." She emphasized her words with a slow lick of the valley between Arizona's breasts, silently cursing her lover's bra keeping her from coveted skin.

"But we still have clothes on!"

Callie pulled back at that, ignoring her lover's whining protest. "Not everything is about getting you naked, Arizona," she said, sounding much too amused for Arizona's taste.

"Well it should be!"

Callie stood up on her toes to kiss her, not used to having to do so to get to Arizona's lips. She liked their usual height difference, but this was fun too. And provided her with plenty of options, her hands sliding over the jeans covering the blonde's taut thighs. Anytime Arizona's legs were around her was a victory for her. And the easy access to breasts was _very_ nice too. Arizona's hands in her hair gave a gentle tug, drawing her mind back to the pleasurable pursuit she was engaged in, kissing Arizona soundly, and away from her mental plans for the playground of her lover's body.

"Calliope…" Arizona gasped into the kiss, nipping her bottom lip as she went into the next series of deep, slow kisses. "Hands…"

Realizing that she was groping a breast through Arizona's shirt, Callie laughed but didn't remove her hand. The other was dangerously high on Arizona's thigh and she found herself agreeing with Arizona's earlier complaint - everything _should_ be about getting her naked. Because if she didn't touch some skin soon, she was going to burst. And not in the good way.

Slowing it down, Callie withdrew slightly, fingers tightening in her hair to keep her from moving too far away. "You have beautiful hair, Calliope," Arizona murmured, running her fingers through the thick, soft locks. A hand under her jaw lifted Callie's face to hers, the seated woman leaning in to kiss her again softly. "You're _so_ beautiful."

Callie chuckled against her lips. "I thought I was the one who was supposed to be sucking up."

"You know I love when you suck up, but we are in the kitchen." It was clear from her tone that Arizona wasn't talking about making up for her earlier flub but doing something else entirely. "And Tim and Alex are right in the other room…"

"It's March Madness," Callie pointed out hopefully. "The game just started. I'm sure the boys'll be busy for a while." She arched an eyebrow and smirked. "As long as you can be quiet." Her fingers were already hooked in the front of Arizona's jeans, flipping her belt buckle open and tugging her even closer to the edge of the counter.

Arizona just grinned, legs keeping Callie close even as the brunette endeavored to get her pants open. Unfortunately for them both, no matter how quiet they were managing to stay, Alex ran out of beer before the first half was over. And the sound of his sister's yell, which would have normally brought him running to her defense, made Tim Robbins, decorated Marine and war hero, curl his knees to his chest and stuff fingers in both of his ears. He steadfastly refused to meet a hastily returning Alex's eyes. And neither one of them turned their heads from the television when the stopper at the base of the kitchen's swinging door flipped into place, just turned up the volume on the TV.

"What happened to it being March _Whatever_, Calliope?" Arizona hissed as she slid down off the counter and tried to jerk her jeans back up her legs. Her face was flushed, beet red in a mixture of intense arousal and embarrassment. She'd been _**so**__ freaking close_!

Callie was there before she succeeded, smirking as she heard the buzzer of the game through the closed kitchen door. Both hands slid into the gap at the back of Arizona's pants, curling around the backs of bare thighs. "It's still going. And I don't think Alex will be thirsty anytime soon," she mused, walking them back toward the kitchen table.

Arizona jumped when she felt the warm wood on her ass. "Calliope, no," she denied her halfheartedly. She was still _so close_… "They're right in there… How would you feel if Alex Karev saw me with no pants on?" She knew he couldn't possibly have seen anything a minute ago, he'd only been in the door for a split second and Callie's head buried in there pretty effectively hid the important bits.

Cocking her head, Callie leaned in slowly. "He'd die very quickly, but very happy," she promised teasingly, the threat breathed onto her lover's lips.

"We could just go upstairs…" Arizona suggested, swallowing hard and taking a hard kiss in spite of her own protests. Callie resumed pushing her jeans down again, taking the kiss as a sign of imminent capitulation. Arizona just leaned back on her hands and breathed hard as Callie's kisses left her lips to trail down the open collar of her shirt. Below her breasts, a few buttons were still hanging in there but Callie popped them open on her way back down. Maybe it wouldn't be _too_ embarrassing if they could finish this quickly and retreat upstairs in humiliation… "Hurry, baby," she pleaded.

Callie dropped to her knees in no apparent rush, nuzzling in between her lover's thighs. "This is better. The countertop is just a _little_ too high. I had to kneel weird," she noted almost conversationally. The table was the perfect height for her on her knees.

"Calliope…"

An eyebrow rose slowly and full lips smirked. "You're not getting off that easy, Arizona," she promised. "Basketball games last a few hours at least," blue eyes went wide and Callie couldn't resist licking her lips, "How long can you last?"

"Calliope," Arizona whimpered again, though she was pleading for something else now. She needed Callie's mouth on her _now _or she was going to take matters into her own hand. And Callie was so much better than her own hand. "Please…"

Pushing her knees open gently, Callie returned her face to its place between her fiancée's legs. Arizona had been close, she noted as she went back to work. A quick tumble over the edge couldn't hurt before she teased her out of her mind. With that in mind she went straight for the blonde's clit, pulling it into her mouth and sucking hard. She could hear Arizona gasp her name even through the thighs muffling her ears and had to smirk. Good thing the boys had turned the TV up.


	37. Chapter 30

Callie sank wearily onto the doctor's lounge couch, stretching out and closing her eyes. This had been the day from hell. And she knew she was only opening herself up to trouble by sticking around, but Arizona was still in surgery and she didn't feel like collapsing on the couch at home only to have Tim or Alex wake her up. At least here she'd get to ride home with Arizona.

That reassuring thought only lasted about twelve seconds before Miranda Bailey stormed in, her eyes scanning a chart. "Torres! Your damn fool sister isn't allergic to anything is she?"

Groaning as she uncovered her eyes, Callie squinted at her friend. She was exhausted, but she really didn't get the joke. And how did Bailey even know she had a sister? It wasn't like her family history had ever come up as a lunchtime topic of conversation. "What? My sister?"

"Aria Ramira Torres. That's your sister, isn't it?" Bailey asked, her tone less short when she recognized that the woman on the couch was still confused.

Callie rubbed her eyes as she sat up. So much for her nap. "Aria is here? Why?"

"Skiing accident."

Frowning, Callie stood up, shrugging back into her lab coat. "What did she break?"

Having sympathy on her clearly exhausted friend, Bailey patted her arm soothingly. "Torres, she's already healing up. There's just some scarring. She's here for Plastics." She offered a smile. "She won't get off her phone long enough to answer me though, just told me her sister worked here and I should ask her."

Shaking her head didn't clear it, Callie sighing and fighting the urge to drop back onto the couch. "Oh, well, she's allergic to codeine, but everything else is fine." She hesitated in spite of her exhaustion. "Did she… does she want me to come?"

Bailey's almost freakish intuition sensed the Latina's ambivalence about either answer she could give and she shook her head sympathetically. "She didn't say you _shouldn't_ come…"

"Whatever," Callie grumbled. "I'm going home. Thanks Bailey." Shrugging back out of her lab coat, she shuffled toward the attending's locker room. She sent a text to Arizona letting her know about the change in plans and drove home in a haze of sudden frustration and her continued weariness.

Tim was vacuuming as she entered, but even the sight of her almost brother-in-law doing chores wasn't enough to break her funk. She needed sleep. And liquor. But first, sleep. Without speaking or bothering to climb the stairs to her own bed, she flopped onto the couch after she kicked off her shoes. Shoes on the couch was one of Arizona's pet peeves. She just closed her eyes and tried to relax, not caring about the noise of the vacuum.

Turning it off, Tim sent her a considering look. "Callie, you okay?" No answer. "I know Arizona's been kind of crazy in wedding planning mode lately, but I thought she was at least letting you sleep." Still nothing. "Sex coma?" he asked, hoping for a laugh more than confirmation.

Callie did chuckle, but didn't open her eyes or shift at all on the couch cushions. "I wish…"

"Then what's up? You look beat." He swatted lightly at her leg and she lifted her feet to give him room to sit down, putting her legs back across his knees uncaringly. He obliged by rolling his thumbs across the soles of her feet.

Groaning, Callie turned her head into the pillow and crossing her arms under her head. "My sister Aria is here. In Seattle. At the hospital."

Tim frowned lightly, considering. He didn't even know Callie had a sister. Arizona couldn't keep her own secrets from him, but she would never share anyone else's secrets. And Callie never talked about her family. "Is she okay?"

Callie scoffed into the pillow. "Bailey said she's here for plastic surgery to get rid of scars from a skiing accident. No broken bones, nothing for me to do. And I'm exhausted, so I came home."

He didn't say anything else, patting her leg once absently while the other hand found the TV remote. When Arizona came in hours later and surveyed the sight of her fiancée sleeping with her feet in her brother's lap he just put a finger to his lips to keep her quiet. "She had a bad day. She crashed hard, sis."

Frowning in concern, Arizona put her bag down and knelt next to the couch, gently pushing dark waves back from Callie's sleeping face. In sleep, her features were soft, relaxed, utterly gorgeous. "Aww, my poor baby…" the blonde murmured, Callie not stirring at all as Arizona stroked her hair. "Did she say if something happened?"

"Apparently her sister's at the hospital," he informed her, keeping his voice down. "That's all she said."

"What? Wow…" Callie didn't talk about her family, but she knew that her sister's sudden appearance in Seattle was bound to have an effect.

Tim shifted, lifting Callie's legs gingerly and moving off the couch. Arizona covered her up with a blanket tenderly and the siblings went into the kitchen so they could talk without waking the exhausted woman on the couch. "So, do you know anything about Callie's sister?" he asked, searching the fridge while Arizona checked the pantry. Cooking together was a familiar routine, each knowing their jobs.

"Just that she exists." Arizona shrugged. "She's younger and I guess they didn't really get along growing up."

"And then Callie came out?" Tim guessed, sighing sympathetically. He was the first person Arizona had officially come out to, even if their family had known and accepted it long before she'd ever said it out loud.

"Exactly." Her eyes were drawn inexorably to where her partner slept in the other room. "I know Mom and Dad took it _really_ well, but I don't understand how you could just cut someone out of your life like that. Because of who they love."

Tim agreed, "Especially someone like her."

"Amen, brother!" Arizona withdrew from the pantry with a can of soup and an idea. "Do we have any chicken?"

"Yeah, and biscuits," he answered preemptively, sure he already knew what she wanted to make. It was an old recipe their mother had made them whenever they needed comfort food - lots of chicken and biscuits and cheese. He checked the drawer. "And the cheddar, but it's in a block so you get to shred it," he said, tossing it to her while she tossed the soup can to him. "I'll do the chicken."

Smiling gratefully, she was reminded how lucky she was to have such an awesome brother. "Thanks, Tim."

He gave her a wink. "You got it."

Talking any more about Callie's sister's mysterious arrival would be nothing but gossip and Arizona changed the subject deliberately, "How're things going with Teddy?"

The next look Tim sent her way was decidedly less friendly. "I thought you didn't want to be in the middle of anything."

"Well, I don't, but it's been a while since your surgery, and you finished PT, but you're still here - living with your sister…" He rolled his eyes as they switched places so he could get to the stove and she could get to the cheese grater in the drawer. "Not that I mind, I love you being around, but I figured it might have something to do with Teddy."

"Arizona…" Tim started warningly. She threw her hands up in surrender and started working on her part of dinner.

The front door crashing closed behind Alex fleeing the rain almost an hour later woke Callie up with a start, Arizona leaning around the kitchen doorway too late to shush him. "Sorry," he offered with a shrug, hanging his bag over the banister. "Robbins, you cooked?"

Callie blinked blearily but turned to look at her fiancée. "Babe, you cooked?"

"Why does everybody have to say it like that?" questioned Arizona defensively, wiping her hands and leaving the kitchen to check on Callie on the couch. "I _can_ cook!"

"I cooked the chicken," Tim called from the oven where he was taking their creation out to cool.

Rolling her eyes, Arizona sat down beside Callie, hand covering her knee gently. "You sleep okay?"

The Latina nodded, brain still fuzzy. She remembered being frustrated before she'd fallen asleep but it took a second for the cause to resurface. "My sister is at the hospital…"

"Torres, you have a sister?" Alex asked as he passed through the living room toward the laundry room, stripping off his outer shirt and sniffing it with a look of disgust. "Is she hot?"

"Karev…" Arizona growled in warning. "Go." She nodded toward the laundry room. "And at least do a full load! Don't just wash one thing - it's a waste of the water!"

He stomped back through the living room, grumbling under his breath about already having a mother, but Arizona ignored him. "She's here for plastic surgery, so I'm guessing she's still pretty," Callie noted, leaning her head over against Arizona's shoulder. "But I haven't seen her in a few years," she added bitterly. "And Bailey said she didn't ask to see me, just asked if I would answer the questions on her admittance paperwork."

Arizona hissed in sympathy. That was cold-blooded. "Well, we can go see her tomorrow if you want. Or if you don't want to, we'll avoid her like the plague," she promised supportively. "And not seeing Mark Sloan is just an added bonus!"

Callie laughed. "You don't like Mark Sloan? I haven't worked with him, just his resident, but I see him around, and I hear he's like a Plastics god. Of course, most of the interns hate him."

"Interns, nurses, pharmaceutical reps, anyone with boobs," Arizona corrected her list. "He's kind of a slut. And he's a good surgeon, but he's a terrible teacher to all of the residents except for what's-his-face, the pretty-boy one," Callie shot her a look, "If Plastics didn't make the hospital more money than any other department, he'd have gotten fired a long time ago."

Thinking of her sister Aria's easy, natural, and completely conscious flirting, Callie frowned. "Does he sleep with patients too?"

"Probably not while they're still patients, at least not that I've heard, but he flirts so if someone flirted back and the swelling wasn't too bad, he'd probably go there."

Callie sighed, loving Arizona all the more for curling her arm around her shoulders without prompting. "Well, if he has his eyes open tomorrow, he'll have another prospect lined up and waiting to go." Warm lips pressed to her temple, Arizona offering her comfort without speaking. "I should go see her, right? I mean, she's in Seattle. She knows I'm here. Even if we haven't spoken in almost _five_ years, she's still my sister, right?"

"If you want to talk to her, I think you should," Arizona said, voice soft. "And if you want me to go with you, I will."

"You don't have to do that, Arizona," Callie denied. "Even before she was judging me for being bi, Aria was never a very… gracious person."

"So she's not much like you." Arizona kissed the side of her head again. "And I know I don't have to, Calliope. But you're going to be my wife pretty soon, and I already feel like your wife anyway, so if you're doing something hard, I want to be with you."

The reminder that the wedding was _finally_ only weeks away sent a rush of warmth through Callie's body. "Why'd we take so long to get married anyway?" It really made no sense when she could have married her months ago.

Arizona's lips curled into a smile against her hair. "Well, we wanted to wait on your divorce to be final, and you were helping turn Tim into a robot," Callie's eyes rolled, "Then I got promoted, and you got your research grant, but I will marry you tomorrow if that's what you want."

Their ceremony was going to be simple, just their friends and Arizona's parents in a local garden, but if Callie wanted to make their vows in the front yard before work, she would do it. They might never get a legal wedding, but the vows were what married them… Partnership papers would have to cover their legal bases until the government caught up with them.

"Your mom would _kill _us if we waited all this time only to move it up and make her miss it," Callie reminded her, lifting her head slowly. "And I don't really want my mother in-law to hate me."

Arizona pecked her lips quickly. "Oh please, she'd hate me before she'd hate you, Calliope."

"Dinner's ready!" Tim called from the kitchen, Callie blushing as she heard his voice.

"Oh God, I fell asleep on your brother!" she remembered suddenly, covering her face with one hand to hide her embarrassment.

Arizona smiled, fingers combing through mussed dark hair. "And I'm okay with it as long as his hands stayed on your feet," she joked.

Rolling her eyes, Callie stood up, pulling the blonde up with her. "I'd rather fall asleep on you, anyway. And Tim's a sweetheart. He was cleaning when I came in."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, he's a good roommate," Arizona agreed. "Besides the Aria bombshell, how was your day?" she asked as they joined the men in the kitchen, Alex already serving himself. Tim offered a wine bottle to Arizona as he went around them to get to his own chair. "Ooh, thank you, Timothy!"

"Long," Callie answered, smiling sweetly as Arizona poured her a glass of red wine, her personal favorite, rewarding her partner with a kiss. "What did you guys make? It smells great!"

"Pure comfort food, baby," Arizona said with a smile. And it was. Chicken wrapped in flaky biscuits and baked in a cheesy sauce. It was a Robbins family staple because it was so easy to make, but still tasty.

Alex's mouth was full as he interjected, "It's really good."

Callie took a bite of her own, nodding her agreement rather than speak around her mouthful. "Mmh, it is good. Thank you two for cooking. This is the best part of my day."

"For now, I think you mean," Arizona corrected her, arching an eyebrow at her, a promising look in her eye. And it wasn't simply sex she was promising, it was whatever would make Callie's day better, anything she could do.

"Dude, we're eating!" protested Alex, again speaking around food.

Arizona promptly leaned over to slug his arm. "And maybe I wasn't talking about sex, perve!"

"Okay, children," Tim chimed in to separate them while Callie just sipped her wine. They were all familiar with how Arizona and Alex related to each other. "Can't we all play nice? Have a nice family dinner?"

Abruptly, Arizona laughed, though she did lean back into her own seat. "Oh my God, you sounded just like Mom just then!"

Taking another sip of her wine, Callie put a hand on her partner's knee. "Honey, be nice."

The blonde just smacked a kiss to her cheek. "I'm always nice, Calliope. You know that!" Three pairs of brown eyes rolled simultaneously just as the front door opened, Teddy calling a greeting. "She'll be on my side!"

Teddy was smiling cautiously as she joined them, taking the plate Callie handed her gratefully. "What am I picking sides on?"

"I'm nice, right?" Arizona demanded, Teddy just looking confused.

"Um, yes?" she said, though it sounded like a question. "What are we talking about?"

The others just dissolved into laughter and Teddy sat down in the chair between Alex and Tim while Arizona grumped at them. Her pout disappeared when Callie leaned over to kiss her cheek, Arizona turning her head to catch another kiss. "Yeah, I'm over it. Teddy, how was work?"

After dinner, the entire group shifted to the living room, comfortable with the quiet. Callie took a seat in front of the couch and Arizona sat behind her, surgeon hands working on the tension in her partner's shoulders without prompting.

"Me next," Alex requested when he spotted the massage in process.

Arizona just scoffed, fingers rubbing the bands of tense muscle that she could feel extending up into Callie's neck. Her job manipulating limbs and bones kept her strong, but this was tension hardening her muscles. "I'm going to be busy here for the rest of the night. You should just get one of your girlfriends to rub your shoulders," she denied him.

"You don't have to," Callie started to say even as she let her head rock forward to give Arizona more room.

"Shut up," Arizona whispered, kissing the back of her neck as she shifted hair out of her way.

Teddy's foot nudged her hip where the heart surgeon was stretched out over the couch between Tim and Arizona. "Seriously though, me next, right?"

* * *

><p>Just FYI, that chicken thing they make here, it's delicious!<p> 


	38. Chapter 31

"You don't have to do this, baby," Arizona reminded Callie gently, squeezing her hands. "We can just go eat lunch."

Black hair fell in her face when Callie shook her head. "No, I need to at least say _something_. Even if it's just 'hey.' And I want _one_ freaking person in my family to meet you." Arizona hadn't pushed the issue of Callie's parents' attendance at the wedding since the last time it had come up after Mrs. O'Malley's surprise visit, Callie calmly stating once that she only wanted people there that could be genuinely happy for them (the list of which did not include Callie's parents). That had been the end of it.

Arizona didn't object and didn't mention that she could have met Callie's father at the airport many months before. She knew why Callie hadn't wanted them to meet then, like that. They'd been on a layover in Miami, at the airport on the way home to prep from Tim's leg reconstructions when Callie had encountered her father randomly while they'd been waiting. Only Arizona's restless anxiety had meant she'd been wandering the airport when the two had seen each other for the first time in years.

"Where do you want me?" Arizona asked simply, willing to do anything for Callie.

Dropping one hand, Callie kept the other tight in her grip and started toward the closed door of her sister's room. They were intercepted at the door by a man Callie dimly recognized from around the hospital, though she couldn't come up with a name to save her life. It was just that kind of week.

The taller man just smiled, adjusting his lab coat. "Dr. Torres, it's nice to see you again. You've made quite the impression around here the last few years."

What was _that_ supposed to mean? Her first in Seattle had been a long year, and she'd made her share of waves, but it was a big hospital and her issues with George had been over a long time ago. Since then, she and Arizona had thankfully stayed off the hospital's incredible gossip circuit. Cocking an eyebrow, context clues filled in the blanks. "Dr. Sloan, right?" It seemed strange that they hadn't worked any cases together, she did see him at the staff meetings, but it was a big hospital with lots of doctors. She suddenly remembered him introducing himself her first Friday in Joe's, the date Arizona hadn't given her an answer for when she'd asked her out.

He nodded, clearly pleased to be remembered. "Please, call me Mark. Is there something I can help you with, doctors?" he asked, finally glancing in Arizona's direction. "I've got a consult."

"That's why we're here," Callie told him, sending her own look sideways at her partner. "Your patient is my sister."

Then his eyes quickly scanned her body and Arizona's jaw clenched instinctively. She definitely didn't like the way he looked at Callie. "Well then, please, after you," he invited them, opening the door and holding it for them.

Aria was messing with her phone when they entered, not looking up until Mark cleared his throat. "Oh, Dr. Sloan! Hey!" The younger Torres resembled her sister more than a little, though her waves of dark hair were shorter than Callie's, but the family resemblance was unmistakable. It made Arizona wonder silently which of their parents the sisters got their looks from.

Callie stayed quiet, part of her curious if her sister would even notice her presence at the wall, Arizona at her side with her hands tucked in the pockets of her white coat. Aria gave her surgeon most of her attention, but didn't even glance toward the other two. Mark took pleasure from turning to Callie. "Dr. Torres, what would you do to prepare the site for surgery?" It was a question he wouldn't have even asked of an intern.

But that wasn't why he'd asked it and it had the intended effect, Aria's eyes shooting up at the sound of her own name. "Callie!" she shrieked loudly, waving her sister toward her bed. "Took you long enough to get up here and see me!"

Arizona bit her lip, sneaking a look at her fiancée. Callie's eyes had gone wide with surprise, and Mark grinned, eager to see the dramatics. "Aria…" Callie breathed in disbelief. Of all of the reactions she'd expected from her sister, excitement wasn't one of them.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Aria eagerly questioned, looking at Arizona. The blonde's eyes widened to match Callie's, though she recovered more quickly. "I don't really need three doctors, do I?" she asked Mark.

"Um, no, I'm her fiancée, actually," Arizona clarified, spotting the intrigued glance that garnered from Mark.

Aria shrieked again, clapping her hands. "Callie, you're getting _married_? Oh my God! What happened to that George guy? You dumped him, right? Because he was never good enough for you, girl!" The younger Torres grinned at Arizona, running brown eyes from head to foot. "And she is _really_ hot!"

She appeared to be nothing but thrilled by the news that they were getting married and Callie blinked. "What, Aria…?"

"What? You thought just because Mom and Dad are all _'grr argh' _about it , that I was too?" Aria asked, incredulous.

"Well, you haven't talked to me since I left," Callie reminded her, struggling to keep her frustration out of her voice. She hadn't had a family in years and her sister had the nerve to be excited for them? It didn't make sense even as she thought it, but Callie couldn't help herself.

Aria just laughed. "Hey, you know I'm a selfish bitch, sis!" Well, that was the truth. "I was mad at first. Mom and Dad would never care enough to throw me out over something I did. And I've probably changed my phone number like _twelve_ times since then." Despite herself, Callie laughed, though the sound was bitter to her own ears. It was all true. "Are you too pissed at me to give me a hug?"

Moving around Mark as he excused himself, Callie hugged her sister hard, almost dizzy and overwhelmed with a strange mixture of resentment, anger, and relief. She wasn't close to Aria, never had been, but acceptance from any member of her family was something she had written off as one thing she would never have. But the years of betrayal, abandonment, couldn't just be forgotten either.

"New sister, bring it in!" Aria called when Callie pulled back, the elder Torres fighting tears. She kind of hated that that was her reaction, but she couldn't help herself. "What's your name anyway?"

"Arizona," Callie answered for her as Arizona was tugged into her sister's embrace. "Arizona Robbins."

"Cool name! Like the state, or the battleship?"

"The battleship!" Grinning, Arizona sent Callie a look of awed surprise. No one had ever guessed the source of her name correctly, she always had to correct them. "Calliope, I like her!"

Shooting a return look at her partner, Callie shook her head in mock exasperation. "Are we going to have a problem with our siblings?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"What? No! Tim just likes running his mouth, you know that." Blue eyes searched her face and the dimpled smile faded as she tried to read her partner's expression. Aria had the same easy charm that Callie did, but Calliope was her priority, always.

Arizona was cut off by Aria, "Ooh, you have a brother? I bet he's cute because you are gorgeous!"

Callie's look was knowing, old memories of her sister's flirtatious nature coming back to her in a rush. Thankfully, she knew her baby sister was straighter than straight. Big love for the penis. "He's involved," she informed the younger woman seriously, clear note of warning in her tone.

Aria sighed, rolling her eyes at her sister. "That's a shame. I did _not_ miss your judgey looks, Callie. Anyway, when's the wedding?"

"Next week, actually," answered Callie, unable to stop a genuine smile, glancing across the bed at Arizona. The dimpled smile she was receiving made her heart skip a beat. Just over a week until she pledged the rest of her life to the most amazing, wonderful woman she'd ever known. "What about you? What happened to you that you didn't even tell me you got in an accident?" They could talk, talking was good, but about something other than emotions.

"It's not like you could have operated on me, right?" Aria defended herself with a sheepish shrug. "Were _you_ going to tell me that you are getting _married_?"

Callie matched her sister's shrug, glancing at Arizona. "No, I guess not. Not with the way Mom and Dad have been about all of it." She hesitated, breathing deeply. "How have they been?" she asked slowly.

"They're the same as always," answered Aria. "Always working, mostly oblivious." Callie's expression fell and the younger Torres sighed. "Do you want me to call them?" she offered, genuinely sympathetic for a moment. "I can get them to Seattle if you want to ambush them." She was always up for jerking her parents around.

It didn't Callie a second to shake her head. "No." She mustered a weak smile. "It's fine." Her parents hadn't been there for so many things since she'd come out. She couldn't say she didn't miss them, but she had a new family now, one that had welcomed her without hesitation. Glancing up, she caught Arizona's eyes, blue depths concerned and questioning again. Swallowing back the painful emotions attached to thinking about her parents (though not as painful as they'd once been), Callie gave her a minute nod, wetting her lips.

"Whatever," Aria said, waving that off. "Screw 'em. Can I come to the wedding?"

Arizona gave Callie a supportive nod immediately, dimples popped. Her eyes were still searching her lover's face, though. "Sure," Callie agreed, smiling herself more naturally to reassure Arizona. Even before her coming out, no one had ever looked after her, genuinely cared about how she was feeling, the way Arizona did. "I guess if you want to come, knock yourself out." It might be nice to actually have someone from her family at the wedding, though she wasn't going to get her hopes up. Aria, even when she had the best of intentions, had never been all that reliable.

A knock on the door interrupted further conversation, Mark Sloan returning. "Sorry to interrupt, but we do need to get you prepped for your surgery, Miss Torres."

"Dr. Sloan, I thought I told you to call me Aria," the younger woman requested, laughing flirtatiously. Callie rolled her eyes toward Arizona, the blonde biting back an amused smile. "I saw that," Aria rebuked her sister.

"Well, we have to get to work, but I'll come check on you after you wake up?"

"Sure, yeah!"

Arizona was smiling but quiet as they left the room, waiting for a reaction from Callie. When one didn't come, she prompted, "That went better than I was expecting. But it doesn't matter what I think, Calliope. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Callie agreed hoarsely. She was barely able to believe it. Only her sister could not speak to someone for five years and turn around in half an hour and make it feel like it had been no time at all. It was like her superpower. She could almost forget that she'd been so angry at her abandonment in the first place. But she had been, and she was, and that made her cautious. She'd been hurt by a lot of people.

"Calliope, you don't have to say anything, but if you want to talk to me, I'm here," Arizona offered, not sure what would antagonize the Latina. "I don't really know what to say here."

That drew a genuine smile, Callie's dark eyes focusing on her. "You just said it," she promised, whispering. "I just - everybody leaves, Arizona." Her smile was tinged with sadness. "My parents don't talk to me and my sister - even when she's really happy for me, like now - she doesn't think beyond herself. The last five years, she didn't care that I like girls, she just cared that our parents were more upset about it than they've been over any of the random crap she pulls. I haven't had a family and it doesn't even occur to her to call me."

Arizona sighed sadly, unable to help mentally comparing their experiences - her own family's supportive understanding and Callie's complete abandonment. "Calliope," she started softly, eyes searching her partner's face, fingers winding into the fabric at the sides of Callie's scrub top. "I will _never_ walk away from you."

Callie smiled, fresh tears rising in her eyes. "You better not," she whispered, head shaking from side to side. "I wouldn't make it." Admitting that, that she needed someone else after all the others who'd left, was a big deal for her. But she knew she was safe with Arizona. If Arizona hadn't left after finding out that she was married, that she wanted kids, discovered all of the differences that actually made them perfect for each other, she wasn't going to leave.

Arizona pulled her into a full, tight embrace, one hand stroking her hair. "It's never going to happen," she promised. "Do you want me to come back with you this afternoon? You can page me…"

Callie considered the offer, finally shaking her head. "That's okay, I know you're busy today. What time is Wallace getting here?"

Arizona checked her watch with a sigh. "About half an hour." Wallace Anderson had been in and out of the hospital for most of his life because of his short gut syndrome, and had been Arizona's patient since she was doing her fellowship.

Callie gave her a quick kiss. "You go be awesome and I'll see you at home, okay?"

"Okay. Love you."

"I love you too," Callie answered her, shaking her head as Arizona shot off down the hall on her wheels. Everything about that woman made her happy, even those ridiculous shoes.

Aria's surgery went perfectly fine and Callie stopped by her room after her last surgery of the day, knocking tentatively. "Callie, hey, come in," Aria said, surprising her by putting her phone aside, her expression muted. "I know you must hate me, right?"

"If you apologize to me, I might hurt you," said Callie honestly, crossing her arms and shaking her head. "I don't, I can't - you know you're unbelievable, don't you?"

The younger woman just smirked impishly and Callie could feel the familiar exasperation come rushing back. "If you don't want me to come to your wedding, I get it. And I know it doesn't mean much, but I really am happy for you. That woman I met this morning, she loves you. It's all over her face when she looks at you." Callie couldn't help a smile, knowing that her own expression showed exactly how she felt about Arizona. Aria's smirk softened and she shifted in her bed. "She's good to you, right?"

Callie sighed, leaning back against the wall. "She's amazing," she said earnestly. "Wonderful. I love her… more than anything." Her sister's expression didn't twitch, didn't flicker, just a soft smile. "What the hell, Aria? Why are you here now? Why did you even bother coming to _my_ hospital in _my_ city? It's not like you missed me…"

"Hey!" Aria cut her off shortly. "You're my big sister, Callie. Of course I missed you." A sigh and her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm selfish and I'm sorry. For whatever that's worth."

Callie considered her in silence, trying to wrap her head around this whole thing. "For whatever it's worth, I kind of missed you too." Aria smiled softly, making her look shy. Callie knew better. "You're still a bitch," she declared flatly, shaking her head at the younger woman.

Gasping, Aria whipped her pillow across the room at Callie, hissing when the sudden movement reminded them both that she'd just had surgery.

"Don't ruin Dr. Sloan's nice work," Callie teased, circling her own face with a finger. "He really is as good as they say," she noted. "He fixed this whole _situation_ you've had going on…"

Aria gaped at her, offended, but didn't protest. Much like Arizona and Alex, they'd always related better then they were snipping at each other. It had always been their most honest form of communication. And talking about how they _hadn't_ talked in years wasn't going to do anything but hurt.

Her sister's yawn was almost a relief, Callie excusing herself to let her sleep. She did spend what time she could visiting with her long lost sister while she was in recovery for the next few days. As long as they stayed casual it was fine, which had always been the extent of their relationship anyway. Arizona accompanied her when she could, which wasn't too often after she discovered how much worse Wallace's condition had gotten. There was no cure for his disease, but his parents were extremely wealthy and were putting a lot of pressure on her to come up with something to save their son.

But he was restrained to the hospital until she came up with any other treatment possibility. And Arizona was stressed and frustrated as she tried to find something, anything, to help him. The wedding was the light at the end of the tunnel of her shitty week.

And Calliope, of course. Callie was the light she lived in every day. She was flipping through yet another journal, searching for a solution, when arms slid over her shoulders, warm lips angling in to kiss behind her ear. "Are you coming home?" Callie murmured, arms hugging Arizona around the top of her chest. "I miss you."

Arizona had been spending more and more time at the hospital, especially after the Andersons had promised twenty-five million dollars to the hospital, half of it to be geared toward searching for a cure for their son. And between her case and Callie's sister, they hadn't been home much at the same time. "I feel like I'm being paid not to," she admitted, sighing heavily.

"Well, I don't have twenty-five million dollars, but I thought I had _some_ things you liked," Callie mused, her chin resting lightly on Arizona's shoulder as she surveyed the piles of papers and journals spread across the desk Arizona had commandeered in the research library. "Any luck?"

"No," Arizona grumbled, rubbing her temple to ward off a headache.

"Are you going to hate me if I ask you to take a break and come home?" asked Callie. "You need to sleep and I miss sleeping with you." She kissed her neck again. Things with Aria were going surprisingly well, but she wasn't depending on that relationship. It would be nice if her sister was in her life again, but then, really, it wasn't her life anymore. At least, not only her life. Because no matter that the wedding hadn't technically occurred yet, her life was tied to Arizona's. And she wanted it that way, whether they'd taken their vows yet or not. "Is he stable?"

"Yes, but he's still in a hospital bed and he's going to stay there unless I can figure out a way to help him," Arizona pointed out.

Callie sighed, nuzzling her ear gently and kissing her a third time. "Okay, but just remember, no matter how much money the Andersons give you, and no matter how much you want to help, they can't buy a cure for their son." She dropped another kiss and leaned back, her arms sliding back with her. "Just promise me you'll come home the night before the wedding," she requested. "I know it's not kosher, but I want to spend that night with you."

Arizona snorted, smiling suddenly. "I think that's no _less_ kosher than marrying a woman, Calliope." She stretched and both hands caught the back of Callie's neck, holding her where she was. "And I miss you too."

Smiling, Callie gently unhooked the hands on her shoulders. "I know. But I know Wallace is important to you, so stay tonight if you need to." A laugh snuck out. "But Aria wants to take everyone out for a few drinks the night before the wedding and I don't want to go if you're not there with me. And if neither of us are there, it's a pretty lame wedding celebration."

Arizona laughed as well, thinking of the whirlwind that was Aria interacting with the rest of their friends. The younger Torres had stuck around Seattle to visit with her sister but she had insisted on staying at a hotel rather than crashing on the couch at the house with them. It had suited Arizona's desire to keep the flirtatious Aria away from the willing Alex, and it gave Aria an excuse to use her daddy's money, one of her favorite pastimes according to both herself and Callie. "Oh God. That sounds like trouble…"

"It _really_ does," Callie agreed, still laughing. "Which is why I need you there to keep me out of trouble."

"Oh, I don't think I could miss that, babe." Arizona turned her head to give her partner a look. "I need to clean off the memory card in my camera for that."

Callie rolled her eyes but smiled. "So you'll come home tomorrow night?"

Shaking her head made Callie's smile slip, but Arizona stood up. "I'm coming home now," she said. "And I will absolutely be there tomorrow night," she promised, kissing her fiancée softly. Her brow quirked as something occurred to her. "Should Aria even drink so close to surgery?"

Callie's eyes rolled again. "She's a week post-op, so that's not going to matter." Arizona's eyes went wide at the reminder of exactly how much she'd buried herself in her work lately. "And I'm pretty sure she invited Dr. Sloan anyway."

Arizona grimaced as she left her pen in the journal and closed the pages on it to mark her spot. "That guy is coming to our party? We don't even know him!"

Callie curled their fingers together as they left the library, laughing as she looked sideways at Arizona. "What is it you don't like about him? He seems alright to me."

Blue eyes just narrowed. "I don't like the way he looks at _you_, actually."

"What?" Callie asked with a choked laugh.

Arizona declared, "He stares at your boobs, Calliope. He starts at your face, but somewhere along the line he ends up on your boobs. I don't like it."

Callie dropped her hand to wrap an arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling her in to kiss the side of her head. "Well, historically, I've heard that they're pretty good. I mean, you like them, right?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well, your opinion is the one that matters to me. But if it bothers you, I'll tell him to stop or don't come to the party," Callie declared easily, shrugging. "You haven't come out of the library all day, are you good to drive? Are your legs numb?" she teased. "Did you eat? You could be lightheaded."

Arizona scoffed immediately. "Always ready to drive, Calliope." She even escorted Callie to the passenger door, holding it for her and closing it behind her. Starting the car, she was quiet for a few minutes before she spoke up again, "You'd really tell Sloan to keep his distance? Just because he bugs me?"

She was clearly surprised by the consideration, and Callie laughed, looking across the dark car at her. "Sure," she said, utterly matter-of-fact. "Arizona, if something makes you uncomfortable, it's not okay with me. I'll talk to Dr. Sloan tomorrow."

Arizona normally wasn't a jealous person, but for some reason Mark Sloan's eyes, or anyone's eyes, really, on her Calliope made her insane. She knew Callie would never cheat on her, though. No matter who looked at her, she would never hurt her like that. She just had to accept that her fiancée was a gorgeous, sexy woman that everyone wanted. But she was the one marrying Calliope Torres. Callie loved _her. _That was what mattered. "No, it's okay," she sighed. "I trust you. I don't trust him, necessarily, but I trust you."

Callie smiled to herself, proud of her partner. She knew she could be jealous, knew exactly how she'd react if she thought someone was sniffing around Arizona. And talking to them would be the least of what she'd do. "As long as you're not too tired, you're _so_ getting laid tonight," she promised, smirking across the car at her while blue eyes blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting that reaction. "You, trusting me, _really_ hot," Callie clarified.

The look she was getting made it look like Callie was ready to eat her right there in the car and Arizona felt a shiver shoot down her spine. "O-kay." That look, from Callie, _that's _what she was talking about!

"And Sloan's totally into Aria. Which is gross, but whatever. Because I'm with you and if I worried about every inappropriate guy my sister slept with, I'd never have finished med school," Callie added without thinking.

Arizona laughed but shook her head. "It was hotter when you just wanted to get me naked for being so awesome and secure, so I'm ignoring all that stuff you just said about Sloan and your sister and focusing on you wanting me," the blonde decided, returning her gaze to the rainy road home. She just smiled when Callie leaned across the narrow gap between their seats and kissed her cheek softly.

"It's always about you. Arizona," Callie promised sweetly. "You and me."

* * *

><p>Second to last chapter (of part 2) - let me hear it if you want part 3! Or we can do a wedding epilogue and call it a day. (but in the interest of honesty - the 'yay' votes are uncontested at this point, so it would take a hell of a 'no' tide to upset and keep part 3 from happening)<p> 


	39. Chapter 32

Arizona couldn't stop laughing even as her back collided with the wall of the hallway. Callie muffled the noise with another kiss, both hands busy at her fiancée's waist. They really shouldn't be doing this, she knew that. They were successful, modern women. They should be able to keep their pants on until they got home. But they really, _really_ couldn't. Or at least they couldn't keep their hands out of the other one's pants.

Fingers pushed eagerly into the opened front of Arizona's jeans, rubbing her over the hot, damp fabric of her panties. "You're so wet already," Callie broke their kiss to gasp, both of them breathless.

Arizona couldn't answer vocally, words completely beyond her capabilities at the moment. They were out celebrating their upcoming wedding with their friends and Calliope Torres had her pinned against a wall with her hands on her. It was a miracle that she was still standing at all. Instead of speaking, she managed a pleading, desperate, whimper-whine.

Understanding the plea, two fingers slid the crotch of Arizona's panties out of their way and plunged inside her in a single deep, hard thrust.

That got her talking, Arizona gasping a strangled, "Oh _fuck_." They were off the dance floor but the thump of the bass would cover any sounds they happened to make. They could still be discovered at any second though, and Arizona knew gratefully that it wouldn't take much more before she came. "More," she ground out, unintentionally biting down on Callie's shoulder when another finger added itself to the thrusts driving inside her.

"Don't leave a mark!" Callie reminded her, the nails of her own free hand digging into Arizona's ass where she'd tucked her hand in between denim jeans and cotton panties. She could leave marks there, no one would see them but her, but a giant mouth shaped bruise on her shoulder would be pretty obvious tomorrow in her off-the-shoulder wedding dress.

Arizona released her with another gasp, rocking her body down onto the hand driving her over the edge. Without muffling herself on Callie's skin, her noises were rising in pitch as she neared her peak. Then Callie curled and scissored her fingers, blowing her completely over the edge with a scream. Callie captured her mouth quickly, holding steady as Arizona rode out the waves of her pleasure and pulling out only when she went limp.

Whining in protest at the necessary haste that came from sneaking away from a party to have sex with her fiancée, Arizona was fumbling as she replaced her underwear and redid the zipper and button of her jeans while Callie cleaned her fingers one at a time between her lips. The little moan of appreciation when she didn't have time to reciprocate really wasn't fair, the blonde decided. Her woman was almost _too_ hot. That thought was immediately rejected as insane. There was no such thing as too hot. Not when it came to Calliope Torres.

"Shall we?" Callie asked, offering her hand and a quick kiss. She licked her lips as they separated.

Arizona took another deep breath, feeling the flush on her face and praying that everyone wrote it off to the heat of the club they were in. "Think anyone will believe we were just going to the bathroom?"

Callie threw her head back to laugh, shaking her head. "Not a chance, sweetness." They hadn't exactly been subtle when they'd run off to screw in an empty hallway. She slid around behind Arizona, using their joined hands to spin her around and planting herself behind her, both arms wrapping around her waist. "Everyone in this place wishes they'd just gotten to do what I just did," she whispered, sucking on the skin below her ear.

Letting herself be moved to the music, Arizona tried to feel embarrassed by what they'd just done, but she really wasn't. They were getting married. And they were celebrating that. And Callie was _really_ hard to turn down when she whispered what she'd whispered to lead them to that hallway. She had no regrets but the fact that there hadn't been time for her to turn the tables on Callie. The night was still young, though.

They danced close through countless songs, not caring about wandering hands or sloppy kisses exchanged during the extended, close, physical contact. There was a lot of couples that were being much less modest than they were. Occasionally they would see a pair or group of their friends in the mass with them.

Coming out of the crowd only when the heat and resulting sweating was becoming uncomfortable, they were met at their reserved table by a waiter and icy drinks. Arizona wasn't driving but only took a few sips of hers, just enough to cool off.

Callie finished hers in a single long sip, gasping as she swallowed and shaking her head to clear it. She pulled Arizona against her side in their big, round booth, immediately sucking on the blonde's ear and making her breathing shudder. "You're hot," Callie hummed, teeth closed lightly on the lobe. "And I love you. But that's not why I love you. I have a hundred thousand reasons why I love you, Arizona, why I'm marrying you tomorrow," the words sent a quiver down her back, "but all I can think tonight is how hot you are." A scalding mouth closed on her earlobe again and her eyes slammed closed. "Is that bad?" Callie asked, breathing hard against her neck and resting her chin on her lover's shoulder. "I should be thinking about why I love you so much but all I can think is what it felt like to be inside you."

Swallowing hard, Arizona captured her lips firmly, hand on her face holding her steady. How much longer could Aria really expect them to stay here? Seriously? They'd been there for a few hours already. And they had a wedding to be ready for tomorrow. And she desperately wanted to take her fiancée to bed and fuck her.

As if reading her mind the younger Torres appeared at the table with the rest of their party, whistling sharply. "Alright already, bachelorettes! Dismount each other!"

Realizing that she was dangerously close to doing precisely that, Arizona fell back, struggling to catch her breath while Callie was doing the same beside her. "What's up?" the brunette asked of her sister. "We leaving?" She wasn't entirely able to hide her hopeful tone and Arizona smirked.

"Yes. We're hitting Joe's for a round of shots and then back to your place to crash."

"Great," Callie agreed, dragging Arizona along by the hand out of the booth and toward the door.

"But we can do shots at home," Arizona declared. "We've got plenty of liquor, don't we, Alex?" Callie sent her a look and she shrugged unapologetically. She was just as eager to get home as her lover.

"Sure, boss," he hollered back, grinning. Aria rolled her eyes knowingly, but agreed.

Aria had rented a limo and they piled in, Arizona, by far the least drunk passenger, giving him their address. They stumbled across the yard when they reached the house, Arizona sensing an opportunity as their friends made their way inside while she detained Callie in their driveway.

Kissing her against their car, the brunette went along with her willingly as Arizona fumbled for the door handle. Finally finding it, she broke the kiss to usher her fiancée into the backseat. "Seriously?" Callie asked her breathlessly. "Are we this drunk that we're going to have sex in the car?"

"I'm not actually that drunk yet," Arizona said, forgetting her purpose for a moment. "That doesn't matter! I just can't wait." She stole another kiss, tongue plundering her mouth for a few too brief seconds. "I need to be inside you, Calliope."

Decision made by those words, Callie scrambled into the car. Positioning herself on her back, she hauled Arizona in behind her by the front of her shirt, the blonde barely catching the door to pull it closed behind them. They kissed furiously, hands fumbling with clothes and buttons. Callie succeeded in tearing Arizona's shirt over her head, rewarding herself by burying her face in perfect breasts.

Arizona whined in protest as they fell backward, delivering her chest fully for Callie to feast on but making it more difficult to reach the Latina's zipper herself. "Calliope…" Further words were lost when a hot mouth closed over her nipple, tongue working through the fabric of her bra. At least the wet spot would be invisible once her shirt was back on.

Finally, fingers touched metal and she dragged the zipper down, cupping her whole hand against Callie's core. She was soaked through her panties and scorching hot against her skin. Desperate for contact, the brunette lifted her hips in invitation, Arizona balancing herself on her knees so she could use both hands to yank pants and panties down enough to give herself access. "Inside…" Callie broke from her chest to plead, hips already jumping.

Arizona's need to fill her was just as great and she slid home with an appreciative moan. Awkwardly shifting (it had been a long time since she'd had sex in a car), she backed her next thrust with her hips and simultaneously kicked the door hard. She groaned but forced herself to remember what was important, which was making Callie come _hard_. Pain in her foot could be dealt with after that.

"Are you okay?" Callie asked beneath her, panting for breath. Arizona grunted out an affirmative, curling her fingers. "There, there, there," gasped Callie in reaction as she hit the perfect spot. "Right _there_." Arizona complied with quick, short thrusts that hit directly on target. Both hands shot to Arizona's ass, holding her in against herself as she pitched over the edge with a groaning moan that escaped from between clenched teeth. She was still clenching around the blonde's fingers when she relaxed her hands, giving Arizona the freedom to move. "You too," she requested breathlessly, weakly lifting one leg to give her lover the friction she would need.

Arizona gratefully rocked into her thigh without pulling out of Callie's center, giving her another thrust as she worked herself toward orgasm. Hearing the whimper that got her, Arizona's next thrust was deliberate, dragging her own core against a strong thigh and pushing her fingers deeper inside Callie. "I'm going to make you come again," she declared, bracing her free arm on the seat next to Callie's head and leaning over onto her to speak directly into her ear. "You're going to come for me again while I'm riding you," she told her, having to close her eyes as she felt her own peak coming fast. "I'm close…"

"Mngh, me too," Callie moaned, turning her head to kiss any skin she could find. "Come with me," she coaxed, licking a path over the blonde's collarbone and kissing the hollow of her throat. She could hear Arizona's frenzied, hard breathing above her, feel the tension in every inch of her. "Now. Let it go, baby."

Riding out their highs, Callie trailed fingers over her lover's bare back while the other woman was collapsed limply on top of her. She liked it. She could feel the light sheen of sweat on her soft skin.

"Wow," Arizona panted, reluctantly pulling out and feeling Callie shift her leg.

"Was that what you were expecting when you pulled us in here?" Callie asked, chuckling weakly.

"Yeah, kind of," acknowledged the blonde with a laugh of her own. "I just wanted to be inside you, really." She sat up slowly, forgetting that they were in a car and cracking her head on the ceiling. Callie rubbed her head lightly as she laid back down on her. "But I kind of wish we had room to cuddle now."

Callie could hear her pout without needing to see it and she stroked her hair gently. They were lying on the narrow bench seat in the back of Arizona's Jeep and she could feel the seatbelt receptacle poking her in the side. "I know. We can snuggle upstairs in bed, I promise. We can try and sneak straight up there if you want to…"

Giving it serious consideration, Arizona finally sighed and sat up again, cautious of the ceiling this time, and started looking for her shirt. "I wish, but we've got all these people here, and it would be rude…" She hesitated, chewing on her lip. "Right?"

"I guess so," Callie agreed. "How about we give it another hour and then we say screw rudeness, and we go upstairs?"

"Oh, definitely," the blonde declared from inside her shirt, leaning over to kiss her again as soon as her head was clear. She had to scramble back out of the car so Callie could get her pants back up, zippered and buttoned. As soon as they were both standing in the moonlight, it was immediately clear that they'd just had sex. "Oh boy."

Grinning, Callie just pulled her in for a kiss, hands smoothing blonde hair. "That's the best I can do for you. I think they've all got us figured out by now, babe."

"Yeah, probably," Arizona conceded with a laugh as she combed her own fingers through Callie's dark waves. "You ready?"

The music was already on inside the house, the drinks already flowing as well. As soon as they came through the door, Callie was grabbed into a dance with Cristina and Meredith, Arizona snagged by Lexie Grey. Someone pressed drinks into their hands as they danced around the living room. None of it was organized and Callie couldn't help thinking of what Arizona, Cristina, and Meredith called 'dancing it out.'

It had been more than the hour they'd agreed upon, but Callie was missing from the living room when Arizona became aware of the time, and everyone else had coupled off so she felt no guilt about slipping upstairs to find her own partner. There was some fairly distinctive noises coming from Alex's room, as well as Tim's, and the bathroom (what the hell?), but she shook her head and attempted to ignore it.

Her own bedroom was thankfully silent and she shut the door behind her as she found Callie sprawled in their bed. "Hey, you asleep?" she whispered, kicking her shoes off as she crossed the dark room to join her.

"Nope," Callie answered, turning onto her back and crossing her arms behind her head while she watched her other half get undressed for bed in the dim light through the window. "I've just been thinking about something…"

Cocking an eyebrow at her, the blonde tossed her shirt in the general direction of the hamper, quietly debating if it was worth finding something to wear. "What are you thinking about?" she asked curiously. That wasn't typically something someone wanted to hear the night before their wedding but she wasn't worried.

"I'm wondering since we've already had pretty spectacular sex more than once today, if we go again before the wedding, are we being greedy?"

Callie sounded just idly curious, but the question made Arizona's heart rate pick up and her body tighten. If Callie was offering, she was most definitely up for more. "Um…" She swallowed hard, throat dry. "No?" Her voice was squeaky and high and Callie chuckled, her own tone warm and entirely sexual.

"Well, then what are you waiting for?" she hummed, catching her face in both hands as Arizona dove into bed, rolling her back. "Wait, I've got - I want to taste you," she gasped.

Arizona moaned, squeezing her eyes closed. "Me too," she agreed.

Callie eagerly turned herself into position, dragging the panties Arizona was still wearing down her unbelievably long legs and tossing them away. "I think those are pretty much ruined," she said, undeniably smug about that fact. She'd already lost her own underwear before Arizona had come in and the blonde got straight to business, craning her face up to get her tongue where they both needed it to be.

Holding her open with two fingers, Callie set to work herself, dragging her tongue down the length of Arizona's slit and then back up to suck the needy clit into her mouth. She'd had Arizona twice already today and it still wasn't enough. She could never have enough of this woman.

By an unspoken agreement, they were working each other up slowly, taking their time and savoring. This was their last time before they exchanged vows. Presumably. And as fun as it had been, the sex in the bar and in the car had been rushed. This was different. Every time they were together it was because they love each other, but this was more than just sex.

Callie felt when Arizona slid two fingers into her and mirrored the action with her own fingers, following the rhythm set by her lover, steady, slow, deep, dragging thrusts. Her lips and tongue kept her clit attended to and Callie followed her lead again. She was happy to do anything that made Arizona feel good.

Their peaks were slow to build, but when they hit it was explosive. Callie completely lost her breath, feeling lightheaded, but was unwilling to miss a single bit of Arizona on her tongue. She only flopped off when she felt the blonde's hand tap at her leg, falling onto her back and wearily crawling back toward the head of the bed where Arizona was already waiting on her with arms open. "Now _that_ was a damn good last time," she said, not realizing she'd said it until Arizona started laughing.

"I'm guessing you mean last time before tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, of course. Last time before the wedding," Callie agreed, clarifying as she stole a kiss, able to taste herself on her lover's lips. They tasted good together. She fell into her spot with Arizona, grimacing as her hip hit something hard. One hand searched blindly and she found an empty liquor bottle that she pushed out of her way. "Hey," she greeted her as they settled in face to face. "I love you. I'm completely in love with you."

Dimples popped as Arizona fought off a yawn. Lovemaking like _that_ really takes it out of a girl. "I'm in love with you too," she whispered, reaching forward for another soft meeting of their lips. "I think you finally wore me out," she confessed, unable to hide the next yawn. "So thank you. I'll be the one walking funny down the aisle tomorrow."

Callie smirked, not entirely displeased with that idea. "Do you want me to apologize? Or should we just go to sleep?"

"Sleep, definitely," declared Arizona, blue eyes already falling closed. "And never apologize for making love to me." Finding Callie's hand with her own, she pulled it over herself as she turned onto her side, coaxing Callie against her back. "It's awesome wherever we are, but I'm really glad we don't have to miss the snuggling this time."

Smiling, Callie kissed the back of her neck softly. "Me too," she agreed, letting herself be dragged into blissful oblivion. Whenever they woke up, they'd be getting married. And no dream was going to top that.

* * *

><p>So, I'm going out to a bachelorette party tonight, but I bet it's not fun like this one...<p>

And technically this is the end of part two - ta-da! To start part 3, we've got the wedding coming up! Hope you'll all stick around!


	40. Chapter 33

Arizona Robbins knew before she opened her eyes that she was naked. But the sheets and pillows were her bed at home, and the arm around her chest was pulling her back into an equally familiar (and equally naked) body behind her. Callie's other hand was wrapped around the neck of an empty bottle of whiskey, the sight of it making her groan. Last night had gotten… out of control was putting it mildly. And they were getting married later.

Thank _God_ they didn't have to work between now and then.

"Calliope," she rasped out, patting the hand that was idly covering her breast. "Are you awake?" she whispered.

The Latina just grunted into her hair and dropped the bottle to wrap her up in her other arm. "Don't wanna be," she groaned. One eye popped open suddenly, though the sunlight streaming through their window shades made it snap back closed. "Did we miss the wedding?"

Arizona, who was decidedly less drunk than her lover (though she _had _enjoyed the drunken attention), opened her eyes to peek at the clock that had apparently been hit at some point the night before and was wedged between the nightstand and the wall, the numbers barely legible. "No, we're good," she answered. "Are you going to be super hung over, though?"

Callie's smacked her lips, grimacing at the taste of liquor still in her mouth, but nestled closer. "I'm actually feeling okay, I think. I just can't look into light or hear anything loud." Even as she said it, something crashed downstairs. "Like that," she moaned in protest. "Damn it!"

"What do you remember from last night?" Arizona questioned, leaning back into Callie's body. "Because I remember dancing. And sex pretty much all over the place. And a _lot _of drinks."

"That my dad will be paying for," Callie noted happily.

Laughing, Arizona looked up at the ceiling with a confused frown. "What?"

"Aria told me. She put everything last night on one of my dad's credit cards."

She considered that for a long moment. "I should probably be annoyed about that, but I'm surprisingly okay with it," she decided, matching her fiancée's cheerful tone. Stretching, Arizona shifted to face Callie, giggling at her lover's mussed sex hair. "Oh, sweetie, did I do that to your hair?"

Callie stretched as well, one hand helping muss her hair further. "I…" Her fingers reached the end of her hair much sooner than she expected and her mouth fell open in shock. "I - _did_ you do this to my hair?" she asked, voice suddenly high pitched and almost a shriek, making Arizona jump.

"What? What happened to your-oh! Oh my God! Someone cut your hair!"

Callie sat up quickly, both hands inspecting the damage blindly. "Oh my God! What the hell happened to my hair?" Outside in the hall, something thumped against their door.

Despite herself, Arizona was struggling not to laugh. Half of Callie's hair was now just at shoulder length while the rest of it was a good seven inches longer, having apparently been sheared off unevenly sometime in the drunken haze of last night. "Calliope…" Her voice was choked as she tried desperately not to laugh. Laughing in this situation would _not_ help her. She _did_ still want to get married today.

"Don't you _dare_…" Callie growled warningly. "We need to figure out who did this so I can _kill_ them."

"No, it - I'm not - it looks good!" Arizona stammered nervously, unconsciously running both hands through her own hair and breathing in a sigh of relief at finding both sides were even and the same length they'd been the night before. Callie just shot her a malevolent glare. "It _can_ look good," Arizona corrected herself rapidly, reaching up with one hand to curl the uncut hair up to the new, short layer. "We can get it evened out and it'll be completely sexy," she earnestly promised.

Callie's furious expression softened at the look in Arizona's eyes. That look didn't lie. "I'm still going to kill whoever did this," she declared stubbornly as Arizona let her hair drop.

"Here," the blonde offered, pulling a elastic hair tie off her nightstand. Callie huffed in frustration as the shorter length immediately escaped her usual low ponytail and fell in her face. "And I'll back you no matter what, but I really don't want our first round of married sex to be a conjugal visit."

Still grumpy, Callie kissed her quickly and stood from the bed, pulling on a robe. "They'd never catch me."

Arizona rolled off of her side of the bed with a laugh. "No, probably not, but it is completely fixable. And it will look sexy as hell," she promised, already able to picture it, her mouth watering at the mental image.

Callie sent her a smirk over her shoulder as she surveyed their bedroom for anything that might help them figure out what the hell had happened. She couldn't fight a dismayed groan when she found scissors and a large clump of her hair in their bathroom sink. Arizona succeeded in containing her laughter though, giving her a sympathetic sigh. "You promise it'll look hot?"

"Oh my God, yes!" Arizona moaned appreciatively.

Surprised by the fervent answer, Callie's eyebrows rose, pleased. "Do you want to go to the salon with me, or should I go alone and surprise you at the wedding?"

Blue eyes lit up. "Surprise me, please!" she requested happily. "Though I make no promises not to tear your dress off before we make it down the aisle."

Callie laughed, grateful to find ibuprofen in their medicine cabinet and pouring eight into her hand, offering it to Arizona. The blonde plucked up four and swallowed them dry, shaking her head furiously to try and clear it. "Good thing you're going down the aisle first," Callie teased. "But I swear to God, if you move before I get there, I will kick your butt!"

The change in tone was sharp, but Arizona just threw her arms around Callie from behind, squeezing her gently, not sure how her stomach was feeling in the midst of her hangover. "Calliope, if you're suggesting that I could possibly leave you at the alter, that will _not_ be happening." She nipped her earlobe in rebuke. "I'm the marriage that's going to stick," she promised earnestly, voice low. "I m not going to be able to promise I'll be able to stand still up there waiting on you though, so walk fast."

Callie turned in her arms, heart feeling too full. This woman was absolutely amazing. And was all hers. "I love you," she said quietly, eyes locking on the blue depths that she loved so much. "And I _so_ can't wait to be your wife."

"Today!" Arizona happily reminded her. She leaned in to softly kiss her, hand in her hair. Finding the short locks again broke them apart as they both laughed. "Should we look for clues somewhere else? Maybe someone else knows something."

Callie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I doubt that, babe. You were the least drunk person out last night."

"Well, I don't know what happened to your hair," Arizona assured her. "But you weren't with me all night. You danced with most of our guests. And a lot of the bar's guests. Maybe you lost a bet…"

Callie looked around their room again, the whirlwind of scattered clothes and the wildly rumpled sheets of their bed. "We obviously had sex after we got home…"

"And before we got home," Arizona chimed in with a smug smirk.

"And before," Callie's grin matched her lover's, "but since we clearly did it _again_ once we got up here, my question is _how_ did you not notice that a significant amount of my hair was just _gone_?" she questioned teasingly.

Arizona blushed immediately and uncharacteristically. "I don't remember being especially focused on your hair, babe, sorry."

Callie gave her a reassuring wink, kissing her quickly. "It's okay. I wasn't paying attention to your hair at all either."

"Except for pulling on it," Arizona pretended to complain as she opened their bedroom door, the blonde jumping back as a man she belatedly recognized as Mark Sloan fell backwards as the door he was leaning on was removed. There was a loud slapping sound as Arizona clapped a hand over her eyes in a heartbeat. "Calliope, is he naked?" She was an almost married lesbian woman and she should not have to see a naked male ass _today_ of all days.

Callie averted her eyes, kicking the other surgeon with one foot to wake him up. "Sloan!" she barked sharply when he didn't move immediately. "Cover your ass up!"

There was noise from the bathroom across the hall and Aria stumbled into the doorway in her underwear. "Callie! You found Mark! Thank you!"

The elder Torres caught her sister by the elbow as the clearly still inebriated woman started to join the naked man on the floor. "Nope, you're coming with us. We need coffee," Callie declared, shoving Mark again with her foot against his ribs. She regretted it when he rolled over onto his back, reaching back to get Arizona's hand and guide her down the hall. "You're going to want to keep your eyes closed, sweetheart," she advised, leading Arizona and Aria down the hall, ignoring her sister's whine of protest at leaving the nude Plastic surgeon.

Arizona dropped her hand from her eyes to go downstairs, gaping at the mess and mass of people in their living room. Cristina and Meredith were sprawled across each other on the couch, a pile of blankets and pillows on the other side of the room showing where someone else had slept. Arizona could only hope that Alex had kept whoever he'd brought home up in his room. There were a few more of the fifth year residents sleeping on their floor in between a mess of empty liquor bottles, but none of them were terribly familiar at first glance, which just meant that they weren't in Peds or Ortho.

Exchanging glances, Callie shrugged and they moved down the hall toward the swinging door to the kitchen where they could hear more movement. Tim jumped when Arizona flipped the lights on, covering his eyes with a groan. "Oh God," he protested. "Turn it off!"

She obliged with a chuckle, glad to see that her automatic coffeemaker hadn't been disrupted from doing its job and there was a full pot of coffee waiting for them. "Rough night, brother?" she asked wickedly, patting his bare shoulder as she passed him to get to the mugs in the cupboard. "What's with all the men in my house having no clothes on?"

The hypothetical question made him twitch, looking down to make sure that he was actually wearing _something_. He gave Callie a sigh and a thumbs up when she arched a questioning eyebrow at him, snapping the elastic waist of his shorts with a relieved breath. "What happened to your hair?" he asked, eyes focusing on her. Arizona slapped his shoulder while Callie glared and Tim jumped again. "What did I say?" he protested, shielding his head protectively.

"We don't know _what_ happened to my hair," Callie admitted. "I don't guess you know what happened…"

"Nope," he answered promptly. "I was kind of…busy last night."

Arizona grimaced, handing a mug over to Callie. "Gross."

Her brother just mocked her facial expression with impressive accuracy. "I don't want to hear it from _you_, either one of you. Not after your little display on the dance floor last night. And the ladies room. And the car in the driveway."

They were both blushing brightly and Arizona glanced around the kitchen where they were alone, just them and their respective siblings. "Where is Teddy, anyway?"

Tim nodded his head back, gesturing upstairs with his chin. "She's in my room sleeping it off." He blinked as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Did you check your camera yet? I bet it caught whatever happened to your hair, Callie. Grey, or Little Grey, or someone Grey was recording the whole night," he informed them, mussing his hair with one hand and shuffling out of the room without saying anything else.

"Wake up in time for the wedding or I'm going to kill you!" Arizona called after him in warning, remembering too late that loud noises were friends to none of them right now, hearing groans from the living room floor and the pile of surgical residents.

"Ooh, babe, I love you, but please don't yell," Callie requested with a groan. "And let's find that damn video camera. I need to know how this happened to my hair."

Arizona was distracted by mixing sugar into her coffee, but she smiled. "Honey, I promise, it's going to be hot. Trust me." The mental image again sent a shiver down her spine. "I can find the camera if you just want to go to the salon," she offered hopefully, shooting Callie a dimpled smile.

"You're _really_ eager to see me with short hair, aren't you? You know, if you were bored with things the way they are you could have just said something…"

Arizona's mouth dropped open in shock. "Calliope Torres, you take that back!" she demanded, brows furrowing. "Bored? Who could be bored? I am _not_ bored!" For God's sake, they'd had sex three times _yesterday_! She was anything but bored.

Aria's drunken giggling from the kitchen table reminded them suddenly of her presence and Arizona sent her fiancée a grumpy glare as the older Torres fixed a coffee for her sister. Coming back to the counter, Callie reached across to hook the front of Arizona's shirt, pulling her forward to kiss her softly. Arizona surprised her every single day and she loved it. And if last night was any indication, her lover was most definitely _not_ bored. But if the blonde thought she had something to prove, that had potential too.

"_Not_ bored, Calliope," Arizona insisted, hopping on her belly onto the counter to kiss her again, sucking on her tongue just to emphasize her point. Yeah, definitely had potential. "I'm going to find my camera," she declared as the kiss ended, bouncing back down off the counter and scampering into the living room while Callie appreciated the clingy short shorts her fiancée was wearing.

"You're not bored!" Aria noted loudly, slurring. "You like that ass, Calliope Ipha-" she had to pause, mouth working as the tried to sound out her sister's middle name, "Iphiginia Torres!"

She was talking too loudly and Callie groaned, closing her eyes and rubbing a hand over her face. It was undeniably true, but it wasn't something she wanted her drunk sister announcing at her wedding (inevitably in front of the Colonel), like she'd just announced her hated middle name. Hopefully everyone in the other room was still too drunk to be awake. She knew one person that would remember it though, no matter how many sexual favors she promised Arizona to forget she had ever heard the name. "Drink your coffee," she ordered shortly. "Because you're not going to my wedding if you're going to be talking like that. Arizona's parents are coming and you're our entire family representation at the wedding, but not if you're still sloppy drunk."

Aria just grinned, waving her sister's concern off. "Oh, please. I'll be good to go by lunch."

Callie glanced at the clock. "It's ten to noon." The wedding was at six. They had six hours before she was walking down the aisle to meet the love of her life.

"I got this," insisted Aria confidently, throwing her coffee back like a shot. "So what are you going to do about your hair?"

Eyes narrowing, Callie grumbled under her breath at the reminder. "We're going to the salon and get it fixed. _After _I find whoever cut it and kill them."

"We, like you and wifey?" Aria asked with a laugh.

"No, she wants to be surprised. We is me and you," clarified Callie. "So sober up."

Arizona whooped in triumph from the living room, inciting another round of groans from their passed out guests. She offered her video camera to Callie as soon as she reappeared in the kitchen, the little smile on her mouth confirming louder than words that she had heard _the_ name and was not going to forget it, either. "Found it!"

They were joined by a thankfully covered Mark Sloan and two new arrivals in the form of Owen Hunt and Derek Shepherd, Cristina and Meredith's husbands. "Good morning, ladies," Mark greeted them smoothly, grinning at Aria especially.

Rolling her eyes, Callie fetched one of Alex's t-shirts from the dryer and tossed it to her sister to cover up with. She scanned through the first few hours of their party at a rapid pace, finding nothing strange until they got home so she slowed it down.

The commentary made it clear that Meredith Grey had the camera, the resident providing her own insight while she recorded Arizona and Lexie Grey, her own younger half sister, dancing wildly together. Then she left them to tour the house, giving room by room commentary on events. Teddy and Tim were talking close in the kitchen over glasses of whiskey, which she declared boring and quickly left them. There were obvious noises coming from behind Alex's door, but Meredith didn't open it, just turned the camera on herself to dispense her drunken opinions on her findings, appearing completely earnest.

Mark and Aria having sex in the bathroom drew a longer look (and requisite groans of protest from the viewers on the other side of the footage, Callie desperately fast forwarding) until the Plastic surgeon kicked the door closed in her face. Turning to the room across the hall, Meredith followed the sound of muffled yelping into the master bedroom to find Callie and Cristina in the bathroom. Callie was staring in horror at her chopped hair while Cristina waved her scissors and the handful of hair in victory.

Stopping the playback, Callie yelled, "_**Yang**_!" They could all hear the crash in the living room as Cristina or Meredith pitched off the couch. Owen and Derek exchanged simultaneously amused and worried glances, both well familiar with their wives' antics when they were drunk. Tequila was dangerous around their so called 'twisted sisters.'

"What?" came the call back from the other room. Arizona was smirking, the men looking intrigued as they waited for Callie's justice for her slaughtered hair.

"You're on Ortho rotation for the next _month_!" Callie declared, Arizona and Derek blinking at the supposed lightness of her punishment.

"That's it?" Arizona asked, disappointed. She'd been hoping for something more physical, like a cage fight. Yang was scrappy, but all her money was on Callie.

Owen laughed suddenly. "Oh, believe me, that's the worst punishment you could give Cristina," he stated, clapping a hand to Callie's shoulder in approval. "You've just made my home life hell for a month, but I don't blame you. And I'm sorry about your hair."

* * *

><p>Note: Y'all, I'm pretty sure I wrote the ending of this story this morning... And I have mixed, bittersweet feelings about it... (for anyone who's curious - the final rough draft has 69 chapters and is 368 pages - single spaced and 10pt font with 223,077 words, taking the record for longest thing I've ever written - I'm not sure how long the final draft will be until I finish the editing, but if we get to the end of part 3 and you guys want to keep going, we can find out how long it'll be by then...) Needless to say, my mind is kind of blown... Also, this chapter features an idea borrowedinspired by Angela_V - so thank you! I hope you enjoy what I did with it!


	41. Chapter 34 pt 1

"You need to chill out, sis," Tim advised seriously, smiling at the pacing blonde while he messed with his dress uniform.

"Don't tell me to chill out!" Arizona growled at him, constantly moving. "I'm getting _married_ in thirty minutes! You have no idea what this feels like!"

His eyes were focused on his shirt, fiddling with his shirt buttons. "Nope, I don't. I just know what it feels like to watch my sister be in love with a great girl who loves her," Arizona looked over at him, "And I know that it's funny to see you panicking about this _now_. This is the easy part, Arizona. Tomorrow, and the rest of your life, that's the stuff that matters," he glanced up to grin at her, their eyes locking, "Today, we all just get to check out your woman in a hot dress."

Instead of reacting defensively, Arizona just grinned back. "Have you seen her? Does she look amazing? I know she does because she's beautiful, but…"

Laughing, Tim nodded. "She looks amazing," he confirmed, rolling his eyes. "Can you help me with this already?"

She finally stopped moving, crossing the room to stand in front of him, both hands working on the brass buttons of his jacket. "I know you know how to do this. Don't they _drill_ you on how to do this? But thanks for giving me something to do instead of freak out."

"Well, I'm going to have to get out there, so you just have to not freak out on Dad, okay?" requested the Marine, prompting a confused frown from the bride.

"Wait, where are you going? You're standing up with me, right?"

He nodded reassuringly. "Of course I am. And Aria is actually standing up with Callie, too. But Dad's walking you down the aisle. Callie doesn't have anybody to walk her down. And I know she's badass and hardcore and everything, but I thought I'd offer my arm. If you don't think she'll mind…"

Touched, Arizona suddenly realized that she was tearing up. "Shit, I can't cry, Tim!"

"Okay, okay, well, we could ask that Mark guy to do it," Tim suggested quickly, knowing that the suggestion would get Arizona off of emotional and back on panicky. Sure enough, blue eyes glared malevolently at him. "Hey, this is a happy day, little sister!" he reminded her. "Don't look at me like that. You think Callie will be cool with me walking her down the aisle?"

She shook her head, smiling lovingly at her brother. "I think she'll love it. Thank you."

Tim just shrugged. "She's family. And she makes you happier than I've ever seen you."

Abruptly Arizona hugged him, his jacket half buttoned between them. "I'm glad you're here," she sighed.

"Where else would I be when my favorite sister is getting married?"

"I'm your only sister," she reminded him, burying her head in his chest as she laughed. "But I'm still glad you're here."

"Well, then, you're my favorite person, but let's not quibble," he joked, kissing the top of her head and wrapping both arms around her. "The only way I'm not at your wedding is if I'm dead." She punched his side, his uniform coat starched and stiff under her hand, and he quickly corrected himself, "I wouldn't have missed it, Arizona. Not for anything."

Fighting back tears, Arizona waved to stop his words as she stepped back, not wanting to cry. "Tim…"

"And you look beautiful," he added before she could shush him, choking lightly when she suddenly tweaked the tight collar of his dress uniform jacket. "Callie's a lucky woman."

"Tim!" she said again, wiping under her eyes carefully. "You need to go or I'm going to cry. I can't cry! You go find Callie and send Dad in." There was no chance that she'd cry if she was alone with her father. That wasn't how they worked together. She could get emotional with Tim, who was undeniably the best brother in the world, but their father, the Colonel, was a different story.

He gave her a charming grin and winked. "You got it." One hand gestured around them at her dress and the setting of the wedding. "And you got this."

The Colonel was waiting outside and the two men exchanged looks, both proud in their own way. "How's she doing?" Daniel asked, nodding toward the door. They both had their white hats pinned under their elbows, their uniforms sharp and crisp, patent shoes shiny and perfect.

"She's jumpy, but she'll be fine. She's just eager." Tim clapped a hand to his father's shoulder. "Do you happen to know where the other bride might be? I wanted to ask her something."

"Your mother is with her," the older man informed him, pointing down the hall. "I was supposed to watch your sister and make sure she didn't sneak out somewhere where she could find Callie."

Tim grinned. Arizona totally _would_ sneak out to get a peek at Callie. "Well, if you could watch my post, Colonel, I'm going to talk to Callie and maybe Mom could watch the hall," he suggested.

His father matched his grin. "Very good, Corporal." He surprised Tim with an outstretched hand. "You're a good man, Timothy. Your sister, she's a good woman. Both of you are good people."

Shaking his hand, Tim swallowed hard. It was rare that the Colonel was emotional, even with his children. He could be severe with his soldiers but he'd always walked a different line with Tim and Arizona. His love for them was apparent every day, but he was only infrequently clearly emotional and nostalgic like he was today. But his daughter's wedding day seemed appropriate. "Thank you, sir."

He cleared his throat as he knocked on the door at the other end of the hall, his mother greeting him in clear surprise. "Timothy! You look so handsome!" She pulled him into a hug. Barbara Robbins respected the uniform except when it kept her from hugging her men. "How's Arizona?"

"She's great, Mom," he assured her, seeing Callie look over at the sound of her partner's name. "Eager to get down the aisle." He pulled back from the hug gently, letting his mother swipe the lipstick she'd left on his cheek. "I wanted to talk to Callie for a minute if I could?" Nodding, Callie waved him in and Barbara let herself out. "Where's Aria?" Tim asked, glancing around the room. "She's standing up with you, isn't she?"

Callie laughed and he could hear her nerves. "Yeah, she'll be up there, but the prep work stuff is not her scene. She's better with the wining and dining."

"She can drink after last night?" he asked in disbelief. "Wow. I don't know if I have _more_ respect…"

She laughed again, the sound more genuine. "Yeah, don't worry about trying to figure out what to think about Aria. She'll be out of here like a cyclone by next week anyway." Both hands brushed over her hips and sides, straightening the fall of her dress. "You wanted to talk to me, though? Is everything okay? Is Arizona…?"

"She's fine. She looks great." He smiled, curling one arm across his body to mess with his hat. "She can't wait to see you."

Callie's shoulders slumped in a relieved breath. "Good, because I am dying to see her. I'm going crazy trying to picture her in her dress."

"I promise, she's going to blow you away."

"Then what's up?" Callie questioned, feeling nervous. "Everything's okay?"

Tim straightened his shoulders, military posture. "I have a favor to ask you, actually." He tried a smile when she sent him an unsure nod. "You're the reason I'm here, Callie. Here - in general, not here - at my sister's wedding. Because of course I'm going to be at my sister's wedding, but you're the reason I'm not here in a wheelchair…"

A laugh from Callie made him pause. "Arizona does that too," she said with a sweet smile. "She rambles when she's nervous." Her love was all over her words, her voice. Even someone who'd never met them would know that she was talking about the person she loved.

"Well, she is my little sister." He paced shortly, working up his nerve. This was a personal thing he was asking for and he wouldn't hurt Callie for the world. "She's my sister and she's got all these people, you know…"

Callie blinked, swallowing. "And I don't…" she finished hoarsely. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back on her neck and feeling bobby pins poking her from where her hair was styled. "She's worth it, Tim. I love her… more than anything. And my family won't accept that because she's a woman." She looked back at him, eyes locking. "And it breaks my heart that they might never get to know her, see how happy she makes me. But it's their loss. Because I get to be with her. For the rest of our lives, I get _her_."

Tim had to clear his throat, choked up. "Not that I did, but if I had any question that you were the right girl for Arizona, it's gone now." Callie smiled, teary. "Callie, I wanted to ask you - would you do me the honor of letting me walk you down the aisle today?" he requested gruffly, voice thick.

Callie's mouth dropped open as she sucked in a breath, not expecting that. "Tim…" He mustered his charming Robbins smile, the same smile Arizona wore so well. "It would be my honor," she managed, near tears. "Thank you." She blinked and tears fell.

"It's not my style normally, but I'm going to hug you now," he warned her. "So don't get makeup on my uniform, because this thing is a _bitch_ to clean."

It succeeded in making her laugh and she swatted his chest when he hugged her. "Tim, you don't know how much this means to me."

"Hey, you're the reason I can walk anywhere," he reminded her. "Taking you to Arizona is the least I can do for you."

"You don't owe me anything," Callie said, resting her head against his chest and playing with the buttons of his jacket. "You look very handsome. Tell me again how good Arizona looks. Is her dress pretty?"

Tim rolled his eyes. "I might be hugging you, but I'm not discussing my sister's dress. I draw the line at dresses. Just trust me when I say that you're going to be happy."

"She could wear a garbage bag and I'd be happy," Callie declared immediately, earnest. "Is it time yet?"

Even as she spoke, there was a knock on the door. Tim stepped back with a smile, waiting for her to wipe her eyes again before he opened the door to find Aria. "Sis, they're ready for you." She looked again at Tim in his uniform. "And aren't we supposed to be up at the front?"

"I'm going to walk Callie down the aisle. But you'll be lined up on her side and I'll just go up to stand with Arizona," Tim explained, nodding her back down the hall. "We're right behind you." He checked the hall cautiously for his sister before he turned and offered his arm gallantly to Callie. "Shall we?"

"Please, let's!" Callie took his arm with a smile, kissing his cheek.

He ducked his head into his cover as they exited into the sun, adjusting the brim of his hat with the white glove of his uniform keeping it from getting smudged. The pathway to the aisle was shielded with an archway of flowers and Callie could hear the music, the sound driving her heart rate higher.

"Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip," she murmured as they started toward the aisle, Tim smiling as he looked sideways at her.

"You're not going to trip," he promised. "Look."

Both of them looked up the aisle and Callie's smile grew impossibly. Arizona was breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. And she hadn't even looked past her eyes.

"You do actually have to walk, though," Tim whispered, tall and straight at her side.

They covered the aisle without stopping, Tim nodding to each of them before he took his spot across from Aria. The music faded out as the bows lifted from their strings, Arizona's smile holding everything Callie wanted from her life. All she wanted was to make her smile like that every day for the rest of their lives together.

Lacing her fingers through Arizona's, Callie knew her smile was just as happy. There was no way it couldn't be. After everything that had happened since she'd moved to Seattle, everything they'd been through, they were still here - standing across an aisle in front of each other to make vows to spend the rest of their lives together.

Arizona mouthed 'I love you' across to Callie, squeezing her hands to keep herself from diving forward and kissing her. Because almost as much as saying her vows, she wanted to kiss her. She could barely believe that they'd seen each other not three hours ago. It had been time well spent, though. Calliope looked utterly gorgeous.

They each had to concentrate to recite their vows, caught up in each other. Then the proceedings paused so they could each say their own parts. Arizona just prayed she could still speak. As long as Callie heard her, that's what mattered.

"You're the most amazing person I've ever known, Calliope. And it seems impossible, but I love you more every day. And no matter what happens, I know our life is going to be amazing because we'll be together." Arizona could feel herself choking up and finished, "I take you, Calliope Torres, to be my wife. I love you." Her voice was quiet, but everyone could hear her as she made her pledge. It was simple, but it said everything. Being this miraculous woman's wife was everything she wanted. Tim reached forward to hand her the ring, smiling as he felt the normally steady fingers of his surgeon sister tremble against his.

Callie blinked, staring as Arizona slid her wedding band into place on her finger. Then it was her turn to speak and she gathered her breath. "Arizona, I never could have imagined that that first night we met was going to lead us here, but I'm _so _glad that it did. I'm grateful for everything in my life that got me here, standing across from you. I choose you to be the one with whom I spend my life." Her own vow was just as simple, but clear. Arizona was all she wanted, the only person she wanted to share her life with. "I love you."

Blue eyes filled with tears as Callie slid the band onto her finger, Tim leading the cheers as his sister kissed her wife for the first time. "I now pronounce you wife and wife…" The rest of the crowd cheered right along with him and Arizona threw the hand that wasn't holding Callie's up over her head in victory, both of them grinning eagerly.

Retreating back down the aisle, Arizona was practically dragging Callie at a run. "Are we in a hurry, honey?" the brunette asked, laughing.

"I need to kiss you again, and not how I kiss you in front of my parents," Arizona offered in explanation. Her blue eyes were blazing when she sent a look over her shoulder at her wife, the thought of their change in status making her knees weak. "And I know it sounds weird, but I _need_ to get my hands on your hair."

Callie happily grinned. "Isn't it sexy?" she asked rhetorically, pleased with how her last minute haircut had turned out.

"Told you so," declared Arizona smugly. "You are," she sighed breathlessly, "just the most _gorgeous_ woman in the world." Turning to kiss her quickly even as they kept moving, she laughed, giddy. "My _wife_ is the most beautiful woman in the world."

Callie cut her off with another kiss, more slow but deep. They could get interrupted anytime, but she didn't care. Because she was kissing her wife. Both hands skimmed over the blonde's sides, over her ribs and down to her hips. "You're so beautiful," she murmured into a kiss, feeling Arizona's answering smile against her lips.

"You are."

Tim's voice interjected, "You both are." Arizona huffed, leaning her body into Callie's, her forehead on her shoulder. "And I know you're going to be pissed, but I'm going to insist that I get a dance with my new sister."

Immediately the blonde scoffed, lifting her head. "Oh, we'll see about that, brother!"

* * *

><p>part 2 of this chapter will be up sometime before the weekend...<p> 


	42. Chapter 34 pt 2

"Now, it's time for the 'father-daughter dance.'"

The announcement from the DJ made Arizona's body go stiff, her eyes falling closed. "Calliope, baby, I promise, I told them that we weren't doing that…"

"And I told them you were," Callie countered, taking a small step back. It hurt that her father wasn't there, that he wouldn't accept her, them, but it had been her decision not to call her parents during all the wedding planning. They'd made themselves perfectly clear years earlier. And her father showing up for some gesture, even on her wedding day, wasn't going to solve anything. But Arizona and the Colonel deserved a dance. She lifted one of their joined hands to kiss her wife's knuckles. "I'll sit this one out. It's okay," she promised, offering her a sincere, genuine smile. "I get the next one though, okay?"

Arizona's expression softened and she pressed forward again, one hand sliding across Callie's cheek as she pulled her into a kiss. "Thank you…"

Giving her a wink, Callie backed away and offered her partner's hand to the Colonel, blinking in surprise when he kissed her cheek before taking his daughter's hand. Arizona's eyes stayed locked on her as she stepped backward again to give them room, Callie surprised to bump into a solid body before she could vacate the dance floor. Turning and looking up, she was almost not surprised to see Tim behind her, his signature charming grin on his face.

"Callie, may I have this dance?" he requested politely, looking dashing in his uniform and seemingly determined to step up for her wherever he could today.

Tim gave Callie a pleased smile as she took his white gloved hand, his other hand on her hip steering her into a turn. "Told you I'd get a dance with her," he teased as Arizona and the Colonel passed them, Callie rolling her eyes at him.

"You just couldn't resist poking at her, could you?"

"She's my sister," he reasoned, shrugging broad shoulders.

Callie laughed, throwing her head back. Arizona and the Colonel were talking quietly as they danced. "We just got married, Tim. Have mercy? Today? For me?" she added a wide smile that she knew hadn't been off her face for more than a minute since she'd exchanged vows with Arizona, "Your new sister-in-law?"

Huffing exaggeratedly, Tim rolled his eyes and spun her. "Fine. For you, I'll give her one day off from being the annoying big brother." Callie just laughed. Arizona adored her older brother. "You know what this means though, right? I'm your big brother now too, Cal."

She kept laughing. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" he confirmed happily. "You're married in now. You're stuck with all of us Robbins, for life." Their eyes met and he grinned. "Any regrets?"

Callie slapped his shoulder, spotting Arizona behind him. "Never."

"That's what I like to hear."

Shifting her eyes back to him, Callie lifted one eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late for the 'hurt her and I'll hurt you' talk? We're already married."

Tim just blinked, still grinning. "I don't have to say it. I know you won't hurt her."

Callie's smile went soft. "You know that?" She wouldn't, of course, but his confidence was making her curious.

The Marine nodded, sure. "I do. Because I've never seen her with anyone like she is with you. You make her happy, and she's pretty naturally happy, so that's impressive," Callie's smile grew, "And I've seen the two of you together for a while now, at work, at home, and I see how you are with each other. You're just as crazy about her as she is about you," there was no denying that and Callie just chuckled, "What you guys have, I just don't see either one of you letting it go."

"Not a chance," Callie confirmed earnestly, the applause at the end of the song drowning her out. She and Tim separated to join in, clapping for Arizona and the Colonel, the next song faster paced and refilling the dance floor.

Arizona kissed her father's cheek and joined her spouse and her sibling, swatting his arm. "My wife! You get your own!"

Callie laughed, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Babe, play nice. Wedding day truce on the sibling bickering thing, okay? Me and Tim already negotiated it."

"What else have the two of you been talking about?" Arizona questioned curiously, unable to help herself. Neither of them would hide things from her, but she couldn't help wondering what they'd been chatting about, laughing about while they'd danced.

"Subtle, sis," scoffed Tim, smirking. "I'm going to get a drink. Callie, thank you for the dance." He bowed gallantly, giving her a dimpled grin as he walked away.

The Latina smiled at Arizona but didn't speak, just cupped her face in both hands and kissed her, licking softly at her lips before the blonde let her in. They were still and motionless in the middle of the dance floor. But it was their wedding and they could do whatever they wanted. So Callie kissed her in the center of a crowd and Arizona let it happen, wrapping both arms around her partner's hips and holding on.

"We talked about you and how I'm never letting you go," Callie breathed the answer to her question against her lips. "He's all for it. Says I'm stuck with you and your family for life."

Moaning, Arizona kissed her again passionately, pulling her in firmly so that there was no space between their bodies. "We need to get out of the middle of this room," she ground out, needing to be alone with Callie.

"It's a tent," countered the Ortho surgeon with a laugh. "Do you want to dance?" She knew _exactly_ what Arizona wanted to do and it wasn't dancing. But she knew that they would be the first people noticed if they tried to slip out. And they still had to cut the cake. She wanted sex, but she also wanted cake. Obviously she wanted one more than the other, but at this point she had a much better chance of getting cake than sex and would have to settle. "One dance and we'll do the cake and whatever else we have left to do and we can go home," she bargained, coaxing Arizona through a spin under her arm to start their dance.

"It's our first night being married, Calliope," said Arizona with a laugh. "We're not going home!"

"Where are we going? Because I'm off tomorrow but that's it. The Chief is expecting us back at work on Monday." And there wasn't really time for a real honeymoon because of it. Oh well. They'd just have to make the time later, maybe go back to Spain, she reflected hopefully. For tonight, she didn't care where they were as long as they were together and there was a bed. Because as much as she wanted to make love to her wife, weddings were by their nature stressful and she was still a tiny bit hungover from their previous evening, so she also desperately wanted to simply sleep. And sex they could (and did) have everywhere, but she needed a bed to sleep with Arizona. And honestly, she wouldn't mind spending their first day as a married couple at home in their own bed. But Arizona seemed to have a different idea.

"Nowhere really far away because of the time crunch, but I did find this cute little B and B about an hour from here… if you want to go…"

Callie spun her again but caught her before she finished her turn, pulling her back flush against herself. "Arizona Robbins, I absolutely want to go to some cute B and B with you," she stated, keeping her voice low. Arizona's hair was in curled waves under a band of rings, but the spot behind her ear that made her go weak in the knees happened to be visible from where Callie was holding her and she was entirely unable to resist nudging the curls out of the way so she could suck on the flesh there.

Arizona had to bite her lip to keep from moaning out loud. "You said we can leave after cake, right?" she pleaded, reaching one hand back to comb through cropped black locks. The other hand was clinging to Callie's arm at her waist. "I'm starving. Let's do cake!"

"You just want to go have sex," Callie corrected her knowingly, smirking against her wife's skin. This gorgeous, amazing woman was her _wife_. So _freaking_ awesome! The thought made her happy beyond words.

"You caught me," agreed Arizona with a laugh, her voice husky with want. "I'm hungry for cake and horny for my wife. But it's our wedding reception, so both of those things are perfectly okay," she said matter-of-factly, wriggling her body into Callie's eagerly. She was satisfied as long as she was in these arms, cake or no cake, sex now or sex later.

Both of them looked to the edge of the dance floor when someone started clinking glasses, the rest of the crowd picking it up. "I think they want us to kiss," Callie commented, not hating that idea. They had some smart guests at their wedding. A hand on her jaw turned Arizona's head to meet her lips, grateful that their height differences made it easy to tuck her chin on the blonde's bare shoulder and reach her mouth. Arizona moaned into the kiss, her eyes falling closed, and Callie could feel the humming under the hand on Arizona's jaw as she sucked on her bottom lip with her own pair before pulling back. "So… cake?"

"Cake," Arizona confirmed breathlessly, stealing another quick, soft kiss. "I love you," she whispered. "But I really am hungry, so please don't smash it in my face?" requested Arizona at a more normal volume as they crossed the floor toward the towering cake. She smiled at the topper depicting the two of them, blond and brunette brides leaning into each other. Feeling her stomach growling, Arizona wondered if it was audible over the music.

Callie clearly heard it or saw it or sensed it, a crooked smile gracing her lips as she laced her fingers with Arizona's and coaxed them around the fancy silver spatula thing. They got their piece onto a plate without a mess, Callie holding the plate steady so they could each scoop up bites in their hands. Arizona's blue gaze was begging her to just feed it to her without funny business, but Callie smirked and let the moment extend as she lifted her fingers to the blonde's full lips.

Arizona was slow-moving and cautious as she took Callie's fingers between her lips, gratefully sucking the icing off of them, free hand holding Callie's hand steady while Callie took the cake from her simultaneously. Letting her slip free, Arizona smiled. "Thank you, _thank_ _you_, _thank_ _you_," she whispered as their guests cheered and Callie hauled her in for a kiss.

"Here." Callie handed her the plate with the rest of the slice. "Take it," she coaxed, smiling as Arizona took a big bite with a fork and swiping the icing off the corner of her mouth. She sucked the sweetness off of her thumb and took the next bite Arizona offered her. "Mmh, I forgot how good it was."

"Good cake," Arizona confirmed around a mouthful, fork in her mouth as she pulled Callie with her away from the cake table so everyone else could get some for themselves. "We get the leftovers of that, right?" the blonde asked, sucking icing off of her fork.

Callie laughed. "Sure, I guess. If there's anything left after our family and friends get done devouring it."

Blue eyes blinked at her, clearly surprised, Arizona's mouth full. She swallowed, coughing lightly. "You said family - you said 'our family…'"

Nodding, Callie licked her lips. "You're my wife. You'll share your family with me, won't you? Because Tim already called being my new big brother." And she didn't actually have any family of her own to speak of. She was actively _not_ thinking about that on her wedding day, though. Of course, the occasion made it more difficult to ignore than on a typical day.

Arizona offered her the last bite of the cake, kissing the corner of her mouth as Callie took it. "Calliope, you're my family. You were my family a long time before today, though. And they're _our_ family. Of course they are. They all love you."

Callie blinked, her vision going blurry. "One more dance and we're going," she declared. "How far away is the place again? Are you going to be good to drive tonight?" There was alcohol at the reception but after the night before, neither one of them had been drinking. Callie wasn't sure she'd had more than the single glass of champagne used during the toast.

"It's only an hour away," Arizona answered. "And I'm totally good to drive, Calliope."

Feeling the smile break across her face, Callie shook her head. "Of course you are. Stupid question." Arizona just grinned and she couldn't resist kissing her. She still tasted like wedding cake. "Have I ever told you that I love that you call me that?"

"That's your name, Calliope," she said it again, mouth dragging against juicy lips. There was something about Callie's bottom lip that just made her want to bite it.

"I know. When anyone else says it, I hate it, it doesn't sound right, but when you say it…" Brown eyes slid over her face, tracing every detail.

Arizona drew in a breath, bumping her nose against Callie's, a smile on her lips. "When I say it?" she asked, coaxing her toward an explanation.

Breathing deep, Callie met her eyes. "You say my name, the way you say it, Arizona, it sets me on fire. Everything feels warm - my skin, the air, everything."

Blue irises darkened right in front of her as she watched, Arizona's breath shaky, her throat dry. Callie licked her lips as the blonde moved in, a whine escaping when Arizona bypassed her lips to curl both arms over her shoulders, rising up on her toes to put her lips right next to Callie's ear. "Calliope…"

The soft whisper was her undoing, Callie's eyes slamming closed to preserve her self-control. "We're going," she declared hoarsely.

"What about my dance?" Arizona questioned in the same breathy whisper. "One last dance at our wedding, Calliope."

The dance passed in a haze, their friends and family all lining up for their exit, and then they were alone again, changing out of their dresses for the drive. Teddy had promised to make sure everything got back to (and cleaned up at) their house and the caterers had made them plates for dinner, no couple ever getting a chance to eat during their own wedding.

It struck Callie again as they got into Arizona's Jeep and closed the doors, cutting off the outside noise. They were married. For the rest of their lives, Arizona Robbins was her wife. And she was currently talking, the words going straight in one ear and out the other without comprehension.

Dimples popped as the blonde smirked, shaking her head and already eating her dinner, the plate balanced in her lap. "We've been married for three hours and you're already not listening when I talk to you," she teased. "And I'm hungry, and already eating," Arizona continued around a mouthful, "so we're going to sit here until I finish this," she slurped on her soda and swallowed, "and _then_ we'll go."

"What was the alternative?" Callie questioned with a laugh, blushing in the dark.

"We go now and you attempt to feed me while I'm driving," answered Arizona.

Callie just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that doesn't sound dangerous at _all_!" Leaning over the center console, she kissed Arizona's cheek with a smack, lingering to trail softer kisses across her jaw and down her neck. "We've only been married three hours, Arizona. And we are _not_ giving up our honeymoon for anything, much less going back to the hospital because we got in some stupid accident," she declared, sitting back in her seat when Arizona shuddered, her fork frozen halfway between her plate and her mouth.

"You're a tease! And I'm eating! Do you want me to choke?"

"Of course not," Callie said warmly, smiling across the car at her. "Eat your dinner and I'll be good," she promised, keeping her hands dutifully in her lap. Now that they were alone, in the darkness of the car, and the quiet, she was undeniably sleepy, leaning her head against the headrest behind her and letting her eyes slide closed as she listened to Arizona eat her dinner.

At the same time, Arizona was watching her. Callie Torres was a beautiful woman and when her face relaxed in sleep, she was somehow even more stunning. She couldn't bear to wake her, finishing her dinner and turning on her seat to find her jacket in the backseat. Leaning over, Arizona made sure Callie was buckled safely into her seatbelt and tucked the jacket around her before she started the car. They had a long, long life to live together, she wasn't going to take any chances with that.

Callie woke up just as they were pulling up to the huge house where they were going to be celebrating their honeymoon. "Perfect timing," Arizona said with a smirk. "I didn't want to have to wake you up and get smacked for my trouble…"

Brown eyes just rolled in her direction. "You think you're _so_ cute, don't you? You're not in my pants yet, Robbins," she countered, matching her lover's teasing tone.

"You wouldn't…" declared Arizona, working hard to keep her voice detached. She wanted sex, damn it. And it was their honeymoon. No matter that they'd had an impressive amount of sex only the day before. She could never have enough of Callie.

Callie held the serious expression for about three seconds, twice as long as she expected to be able to hold it, reaching across the car to drag Arizona in by the front of her shirt. "Of course I wouldn't," she promised, laughing. One eyebrow arched, her eyes drawn down to her wife's lips. "I got some sleep though, so the question is, are you going to be able to keep up?"

The challenge was clear and Arizona captured her lips firmly, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth the way she'd been dying to all night. "Oh, I'll keep up, Calliope," she promised between kisses. Neither one had gotten much sleep the night before, but she'd drank decidedly less. And she had almost unbelievable motivation.

But neither one wanted their first time after their wedding to be in the car and they pulled back on some unspoken signal, both breathing harder. "Inside," Callie requested, grinning.

Arizona wordlessly agreed by reaching behind her for their suitcase, scrambling out of her door and dragging the luggage with her. She did wait at the front of the car for Callie, taking her free hand and escorting her toward the door by way of the wide staircase leading up to the porch.

It was late but Arizona had apparently made arrangements about that with the manager and she fished a key ring out of a potted plant and let them in, leading the way up two flights of stairs to the very top of the house. The bedroom behind the door was expansive, a large, open floor, furnished rustically, and boasting an impressively large bed in the center.

Arizona grinned as she looked sideways at Callie. "What do you think?"

"Oh, we can work with that," the brunette declared confidently, hands already under Arizona's shirt, pushing the fabric up as she moved her touch along her sides and her ribs. As soon as the shirt was clear she was kissing her, though more slowly than she had at the reception. She wanted her wife, always did, but they had the rest of their lives. They could take their time, savor their first time as wives.

The bed's quilt was cool on her back as Arizona slid up the bed under Callie's hands, kisses trailing down her body. "Wait," she gasped out when the touches moved to her skirt, stopping her even as she helpfully kicked off her own shoes. "Together, you, up here," she directed in between breathless panting, her own hands dragging Callie's shirt up and over her head. The first touch of skin on skin made her breath tremble. "I love you," she whispered, lifting her head to kiss her.

Callie dodged her lips to smile down at her, elbows braced on either side of Arizona's head. "I love you too." She said it plainly, her loving smile unable to be restrained. She got to do this every day for the rest of her life. She got to say that every day. To her wife, who just happened to be the sweetest, most generous, most loving person she'd ever known. And she got her all to herself for the rest of their lives.

So _freaking_ awesome.

But now, she had a wife to make love to. Arizona's next kiss was harder, passion a little less controlled. Callie adapted willingly. Because whatever Arizona wanted, Arizona would get from her. And not just in bed, but anything that would make her happy, would make her smile like she'd been smiling all day, Callie got to do it for her, give it to her. And that made her the luckiest person in the world.

Feeling Callie's distraction, Arizona leaned back, both of them breathing hard. "What? What is it?" One hand rested on the Latina's chest, able to feel the rapid heartbeat under her palm. "If you're too tired…" she started to offer, the words drowned out by Callie's kiss.

"I'm in love with my _wife_," Callie whispered, kissing her again.

Arizona's expression went soft, her smile sweet. "Promise to tell me that again in fifty years," she requested, her own voice low.

Callie blinked, leaning forward on her elbows. "I'll tell you that every day," promised the brunette softly. She ducked her head, bumping their noses together. "I love you, Arizona Robbins."

"I love you too," said Arizona, pausing for a beat. "And I know we just got married and we're on our honeymoon, sort of, but this is getting way mushy."

Callie responded by dragging a tickling hand down her side, grinning as the blonde squirmed immediately, clapping a hand over her mouth to hold back her shriek of laughter. It was late and she didn't want to wake up any of the other guests. "Sorry we're so _mushy_," teased Callie sarcastically. "I guess if we _have _to have hot sex, we have to." Arizona grinned, biting her lip and nodding her head quickly. "Well, whatever my wife wants, my wife gets."

The blonde moaned, dragging Callie down to her lips. "I like that idea," she said in between kisses and giggling. "Let's keep that going for a few years and see how we like that," she suggested, moving against Callie's hands on her.

"Years, huh?" asked Callie, lips dragging against her skin. Decades was more what she was thinking. The rest of her life and whatever came after. It was all Arizona's already. "I can live with that." She nuzzled into the blonde's neck, tracing the pounding pulse down toward her chest. "Mmh, how come you're not naked yet?" she asked, suddenly annoyed by the clothes in her way.

"How come _you're_ not naked yet?" countered Arizona, fingers in dark hair combing down to the ends of the new cropped length. It really was too sexy. And buried in her chest as it was, it was making her heart race even harder. If there was something Callie did that _didn't_ turn her on, she didn't know what it was.

Still kissing down her chest, Callie declared, "We should be naked."

Callie's hand pushed up toward her breast and it was like fire against her skin, making her suck in a breath at the sensation. "We should definitely be naked," echoed the blonde breathlessly, back arching her body into Callie's. She couldn't say she was displeased when Callie (her _wife_, awesome), skipped her lips down to the flesh of her stomach, moving up her body. Hips jumped when the brunette's free hand similarly hiked her skirt up, fingers walking across the front of her panties. "Calliope! Naked, please," she gasped out. She wanted this but she wanted it to be more than Callie getting under her skirt.

The Latina flipping them made Arizona yelp, laughing as she realized the advantages of her new position. Callie's hands were already pushing her skirt up again, sitting up to kiss her as she stripped it over her head, not the typical way she removed Arizona's skirts, but effective. "Now we're getting somewhere," she said softly, stroking both hands down her sides and thriving in all the soft, smooth skin.

Arizona could just moan, tugging at the button of Callie's pants. Both hands buried themselves back in dark hair when it finally gave, tugging her head back from where Callie was kissing her neck. Eyes locking, they paused, both breathless. "I want to make love to my wife," Arizona whispered, breaking the silence after a beat. Warm hands slid down her back and found the waist of her panties, peeling them down her hips as much as she could.

Repositioning let them get the remaining clothing out of their way, each of them breathing deeply when it was just skin on skin, curves and angles fitting together like they'd been made to fit together. Fingers found their places on well practiced instinct, brown and blue eyes locked. There weren't words, just breathing and hitches in breathing as they moved together.

And then it was bliss and still not being able to breathe and slightly sweaty skin that Arizona just couldn't keep her lips off of as she rested limply against Callie's side. Callie's arm was around her back, stroking lightly across her neck and her shoulder, and she just couldn't stop touching her. They'd had a healthy sex life before, ever since the first night they'd met actually, but somehow the knowledge that they were married just amplified everything. And rather than being a depressing thought, knowing that the only person she'd ever be with like this again was the woman laying at her side was perfection.

"I'm the only person who gets to be with you like this," Arizona whispered, sighing as she snuggled in tighter, Callie's arms adjusting around her.

"Yeah," she agreed softly. "I'm the only person that will ever hear those little noises you make again." She pecked a quick kiss to her neck, smiling against the skin. "I'm the only person _causing_ those little noises," she added, pleased by that thought. Arizona Robbins was only ever hers. The knowledge set her on fire. "Mmh, how are you feeling?"

Arizona stretched a little, feeling deliciously sore after the last few days. "I'm good. I feel good."

"Good enough to go again?" checked Callie, already sliding one hand down her side and under her leg. "Because I need to make you come again." She was inside her the second Arizona's head bobbed, free arm holding the blonde to her chest as she stroked her with slow, deep plunges. The pleading whimper-whine she got as a reward made her go faster, rocking her body against Arizona's. She could already feel that it wasn't going to take much. "I'm _so_ in love with you," Callie whispered straight into her ear, curling her fingers. "Come for me, Arizona."

There was nothing to do but obey, gasping and shaking and moaning in her arms as she came apart. Callie was right there to hold her together though, whispering to her and wiping away tears she didn't realize had escaped. "Crying after sex," Arizona grumbled, snuggling deeper into her. "Real turn on."

"You love me," countered Callie. "And I'm _damn _good," she added, lightly teasing and smiling when it earned her a swat to the shoulder. "I'm taking it as a complement!" she declared smugly, kissing her forehead. "And I couldn't be happier that I'm never sleeping with anyone but you."

"Me too," Arizona breathed her agreement. "You know what's my favorite, though?" Callie kissed her, feeling quite sure she knew what Arizona's favorite was. "Mmh, yes, this is up there," the blonde said, laughing.

Callie turned her gently, carefully spooning her and wrapping both arms around her so they were pressed together entirely. "This," she said simply.

"Yes," sighed Arizona, settling into the embrace. "This is my favorite. Falling asleep with you, being close to you."

"Good, because you're stuck with me now," Callie told her, smiling when the blonde reached one arm back to slap her smartly on the ass, searching blindly for the cover and pulling it over them with a yawn.

Stuck with her forever and couldn't be happier about it, Arizona reflected quietly. She didn't need to say it though. Callie knew, she felt it too.

* * *

><p>I'll be doing wedding stuff for a friend all weekend but I'm going to bring my laptop and try and update again Sunday - Monday at the latest, promise!<p> 


	43. Chapter 35

"Honey, I'm home," Callie called as she came through the front door, frowning when there was no answer. "Arizona? Alex? Tim?" Still no answer. Tim had barely been home the last week, spending most nights at Teddy's. And there was no telling where Alex was. But Arizona should have been home hours ago. Three weeks after their wedding and she'd been swamped with her research into Wallace Anderson's short gut syndrome. But it wasn't going well, Arizona's discouragement growing as her patient's condition got worse and his parents increased their pressure on her to find a cure.

But she had promised to come home today. It was Wallace's birthday but it was also Arizona's birthday. Knowing that her wife didn't want to celebrate, Callie had still insisted that they do something to commemorate it and had forced the blonde to promise that she would come home for dinner. And if Callie happened to have made her a cake, she had a feeling Arizona wouldn't object _too_ much.

Of course, she had to actually be around to have any.

"Arizona? Babe, are you here?" Callie shed her coat and moved into the dark house. _Someone_ had been there, the mail for the day was already on the kitchen counter. Sorting through it idly, she paused on a document envelope marked with both her name and Arizona's on the label. It made her smile to see even their names paired. Then the weight of it occurred to her and she dropped the rest of the mail back to the counter to open the large envelope.

The lawyer's cover letter at the top of the page made her frown in confusion. It wasn't her lawyer's office and all of their partnership papers had been in order when they'd filed them. So what…? Flipping a page answered her mental question. "Holy shit," she muttered to herself, seeing the tabs marking the pages they would need to sign. And Arizona needed to see this.

The kitchen was only lit by the light under the counter that always stayed on, but the darkness made it easier to notice the flash of light and movement in the backyard. Leaving the surprising mail on the counter and leaning over to look out the window over the sink, Callie squinted to spot her partner's blonde hair.

Going out through the laundry room, Callie stepped off the pavement into the grass and cleared her throat to get Arizona's attention. She jumped, clearly startled. "Callie! Hey! I didn't hear you come home," she scrambled, blinking when Callie frowned at her. "What?"

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong?' Nothing's wrong," Arizona countered, hands on her hips as she stopped her pacing.

Callie shook her head, confused. Clearly something was wrong. "Arizona, you just called me Callie. You _never_ call me Callie. So, what's wrong? Is Wallace okay?"

Sighing heavily, Arizona resumed her pacing. "They want me to do another procedure, but he's not strong enough." She dropped her gaze to the ground as she walked, hair falling in her face. "He's not strong enough, but he's still going to die."

"So you're not cutting?"

"He's not strong enough to make it off the table!" Arizona snapped.

Callie didn't take it personally, knowing how stressed Arizona had been. "But the Chief wants you to do it." There was no guessing there. Their Chief of Surgery had been worshiping the ground at Arizona's feet since they'd met with the wealthy parents about the money.

"And that dick Jennings from the board. He's scared the Andersons will rethink their donation if I don't operate." She made another turn, her foot grinding into the grass as she walked. "But I don't think he'll make it."

Callie sighed, moving closer and stepping into Arizona's path, hands catching her shoulders. "Sweetheart, you are a brilliant doctor. You know what's best for that patient."

"He turned eleven today," Arizona interjected, upset. "He's just a little kid and he's going to die. No matter what I do, he's going to die."

Wrapping her arms around her wife, Callie curled both arms up her back, hands rubbing gently at her shoulders. "You are great, Arizona. And whatever you decide to do, I'll be with you," she promised, feeling arms wind around her waist. "Even if you tell Jennings and the Chief to go to hell."

"I love you," Arizona whispered. "Can we have some of my cake?" She was conflicted and miserable about her hopeless decision, no matter what she did that little boy was going to die, but Callie and some cake seemed like it could help.

"Before dinner?"

"It's my birthday, Calliope," she reminded her.

"I thought you didn't like your birthday," Callie countered, smiling as she drew back.

"I don't. Except when it gets me cake before dinner and extra sex." Extra sex was the only reason she looked forward to her birthday. After last year, she was almost a fan of the day…

Callie laughed, kissing her softly. "Well, we got a wedding present in the mail that might help cheer you up," she told her, sneaking another kiss before the thought of a present drew Arizona back toward the house, pulling her along by the hand.

"How do you know it's not a birthday present just for me?" she asked, appearing more cheerful.

Smiling, the Latina shook her head at her partner, goosing her butt as the blonde went inside just in front of her. "Because it has both of our names on it. And because it's a pretty _big_ birthday present." She laughed as she remembered exactly what it was. "Actually, it's still huge as a wedding present."

Confused, Arizona sent her a look over her shoulder. "Who's it from?"

"Just look," Callie told her, nodding toward the kitchen counter and gently guiding her forward with hands on her hips, pressing herself against Arizona's back to read over her shoulder.

Arizona's first look at the pages made her mouth drop open. "Holy shit! They gave us the house?"

Laughing, Callie leaned in to kiss her neck. "Looks like it. Did you know they were doing this?"

The blonde head turned to meet her eyes, smile still growing on her lips. "If I had known they were giving us a house for our wedding, would I have just yelled holy shit, Calliope?" she asked, snuggling back into the body behind her. Dropping the papers back to the counter, she reached back with one hand to touch Callie's shorter hair, combing her fingers from scalp to the very ends and back up again.

"Should we call your parents?" Callie asked, her chin on Arizona's shoulder. "Maybe it's not a wedding present. Maybe it's a birthday prank." She caught the scent of something strange and leaned her nose into Arizona's shirt to catch the smell again. Unless she was mistaken, it smelled like cigarettes. "Do you smell smoke?"

Coughing suddenly, Arizona hit the speakerphone on her phone, listening to the last ring as her mother picked up. "Happy birthday, baby girl!" Barbara cooed, Arizona rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Mom."

"Callie?"

"I'm here too," Callie answered her. "We got some papers in the mail and we were wondering if you knew something about it."

The older woman laughed on the other end of the phone. "It should be pretty straightforward. You two just have to sign and mail it back and the lawyer will make sure everything goes through smoothly."

"Is it my birthday present, Mama?" Arizona teasingly asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Arizona Marie, you know how to share," Barbara teased back. "Your father and I are more than happy to give you your own house as a wedding gift." She chuckled. "We've actually been meaning to sign it over to you for a few years now, but we just never thought about it long enough to do it. The wedding seemed like the perfect occasion."

Callie squeezed her wife closer. "Thank you, Mrs. Robbins. It's really too generous…"

"Oh, please, girls, it's your home," she denied. "And Callie, you know better than to call me that!"

"Ooh," Arizona chimed in with a laugh. "Busted, Calliope. And who knows, maybe we'll actually use all these rooms someday," she commented thoughtlessly.

"Oh, Arizona, you didn't kick those boys out, did you?" Barbara asked, confused.

Realizing her oversight, it took her a second to respond, Callie just breathing softly against her neck. "Oh, no, that's not what I meant. The boys aren't going anywhere."

"Then what did you mean? All the rooms are being used, aren't they?"

"Mom…"

"It's nothing, Barbara," Callie chimed in sympathetically, nuzzling closer to Arizona's neck. There was definitely the faintest whiff of smoke on her.

They'd discussed children and she couldn't say that she wouldn't love to have Arizona's baby, but until she brought it up, there was not going to be anything like pushing from her. But even the idle comment from her wife that they might have reasons to use all of the bedrooms of their home that weren't Arizona's work husband or her brother made her heart beat faster.

"Okay," the older woman agreed slowly, clearly hesitant. "Callie, what are you forcing Arizona to do for her birthday? Any big plans?"

"Mom…" Arizona protested again.

"She's your wife, sweetheart. Let her treat you extra nice one day a year," Barbara said, sweetly ordering her daughter.

"Yeah!" agreed Callie, squeezing her. "We're just staying in tonight though. Dinner at home and I made her a cake."

"That we're eating some of before dinner," Arizona couldn't resist telling her mom, hearing the patient sigh on the other end. Dessert before dinner would never have been allowed in the Colonel's home. She tried to imagine if the roles were reversed on this call, if she and Callie were the ones calling their daughter on her birthday. Surprisingly, it didn't suck. Of course, anything she did with Callie wasn't going to suck, but it didn't scare her the way she thought it would. Something to think about later…

"I suppose it's your birthday," Barbara sighed, "And you're a grown, married woman. It's not up to me to tell you what to do anymore, it's up to Callie." Callie smiled, rubbing her hands possessively over the blonde's hips, pressing herself in closer. The edge of something in Arizona's pocket caught her notice and she patted around it, frowning curiously when she felt Arizona go stiff.

It was a rectangle, stiff like cardboard, but could be squished, and Callie's smart doctor mind put the pieces together - the scent of smoke on Arizona's shirt, and now what appeared to be a pack of cigarettes in her pocket. How could she not know that Arizona smoked?

Sensing she was about to be in trouble, Arizona spoke up quickly. "Hey, Mom, thank you so much for the house, it's really too sweet, but we've got to go now. Love Dad, too."

"Okay," Mrs. Robbins agreed slowly. "We love you, girls. And love to your brother and Alex."

"Yes, ma'am," Arizona dutifully answered.

"We love you too," Callie spoke up. "Good night." She reached over Arizona's shoulder with one hand to push the button and end the call, the other hand pushing the package out of her wife's pocket. "You smoke?" she asked as the screen of Arizona's phone when back to the menu. "How the _hell_ have we been together for over two years and I didn't know that you _smoke_, Arizona?"

"I don't," Arizona started to protest, the words dying on her lips when Callie lifted the mostly full pack of cigarettes up in front of her face. "Okay, so I do, but it's only when I'm stressed and I know I'm going to be in trouble, like now…"

Callie stared incredulously at the back of her blonde head, dropping the cigarettes on the counter to turn Arizona bodily around to face her. "Oh, you're in trouble now," she declared passionately. She didn't care how infrequently it happened, it was too much. "I am _not_ having you get cancer, or any of the hundreds of other health problems smoking causes, because of some stupid cigarettes, Arizona! You just had your last smoke."

"Calliope…"

"No, you don't get to Calliope me," she cut in forcefully. "No more cigarettes! I'm not losing you because of something so idiotic! If you're stressed, come find me and you can yell or complain at me."

"What if we're fighting?" Arizona suggested meekly, looking up at her through her eyelashes. Fiery Callie was entirely sexy. She really hoped she hadn't just screwed herself out of birthday sex. The hot, hot birthday sex with her passionate, fiery wife.

Callie could see the darkening color in Arizona's eyes and she let a smile slip onto her lips. "If we're fighting, we'll just have angry sex," she proposed, Arizona's dimples popping as she smiled back at her. The smile faltered when Callie leaned back instead of meeting her lips for a kiss. "Oh, no. I'm not kissing you." She said it as though it should have been obvious.

"Why not?" Arizona yelped, pouting.

"You just smoked! I'm not putting my tongue in your mouth until you brush your teeth!" She leaned in to sniff lightly at her shoulder. "And your clothes kind of stink too, babe."

Still pouty, the blonde wracked her brain for a solution. Because she was _not_ giving up her birthday sex with her wife. Abruptly, her pager went off at her hip. Or maybe she was. Damn it. "It's Wallace."

Callie immediately stepped back to free her from the counter. "Go."

* * *

><p>Just a note because I had someone comment on it - wedding equality passed in Washington state (YAY!) so the wedding would be legal now, but at the point when I wrote this, it wasn't and I didn't feel like going back and making the necessary changes - the legal status of their wedding will be dealt with later, not to worry.<p> 


	44. Chapter 36

Keeping the lights off in the sleeping boy's room, Arizona did her checks and tests and his numbers were the same as when she'd gone home, not great but stable, and there was no indication about why she would have been paged. The Chief was waiting for her when the Peds surgeon rolled out of Wallace's door though, and it was suddenly clear why she'd been called in when the patient was fine, just sleeping. "Robbins…"

"Chief…" she answered him warily, already knowing what he was going to say. "It's not a good idea, sir." She squared her shoulders. "And you can't hold that money over my head. Because _if_ I do that surgery, we will be getting paid to _kill_ that child," stubbornly, she crossed her arms, "And you can't make me do that, sir."

"Dr. Robbins…"

"No!" Arizona denied him, belatedly lowering her voice and stepping away from her patient's room. "You cannot bully me into doing a surgery that I don't believe my patient will survive! And paging me in just to do that is completely unacceptable!"

His face pinched at her characteristic blunt stubbornness with him, brows furrowing as he waited to see if she would cry. "Dr. Robbins, the Andersons will get surgery for their son, even if it's not you performing it."

"You can't make me kill him!"

"And if someone else does the surgery, someone who's not as skilled as you are?" he countered, arms crossing his chest.

Arizona scowled at him. "I might be his best shot, but that doesn't mean I can do it." She breathed deeply, closing her eyes. "Surgery now would just be killing him faster. I don't think he'll make it off the table, sir. And _if_ I managed to do it and he managed to survive, I'd be buying him _days _if I didn't kill him." Blue eyes opened slowly to lock gazes with him. "I can't do it, Chief."

"Not even if it will give him days with his parents, days they'll treasure?"

"No, sir. Because I'm a great surgeon," her mind echoed the same statement in Calliope's voice, "but I don't think I can give him those days. And _if_ I did, he'd be in more pain, suffering worse, _if_ he woke up at all," she shook her head, "His parents don't want that."

He eyed her with what she hoped was respect. "And this is a decision you can live with, Dr. Robbins?"

Swallowing hard and fighting tears, Arizona answered, "I wish that I didn't have to live with the decision to let a child die. But I can't do anything. And surgery means that I would be killing him myself. And not doing that, I can live with that decision," she nodded, "Yes, sir."

The older man gave her a few moments of quiet consideration, one hand scratching at his graying beard. "Very well, Dr. Robbins. I'll talk to Mr. Jennings."

Her body abruptly slumped as she let her resolve go. Standing up to authority had always made her cry and she could feel the unwanted surge of emotion rising to choke her. "Thank you, sir." All she wanted was to be back at home in Callie's arms.

"Go home, Arizona," he directed her gently. Everyone had seen how much this case had been weighing on her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The night air was cold as she stepped outside of her car, breath fogging as she walked up the driveway. The house was dark, it was late, but she still felt relieved to be home. Opening the front door, she almost didn't even look toward the living room, just started straight up the stairs to her bed and her wife.

Then someone moved on the couch and she paused. "Hello?"

"Arizona." Callie's warm, sleepy voice made her melt. "You're home…" she moaned, sitting up. She could only huff as the blonde abruptly threw herself onto her, pushing them both back against the sofa. "Honey, are you okay?" Tears fell hot and hard on her shoulder as Arizona's control snapped. "Oh, Arizona, what happened?" she pleaded, arms wrapping protectively around her partner. "Is Wallace…?"

"He's alive. He's not good, but he's alive," Arizona gasped out, sobbing into her chest. "The Chief paged me in to talk about the surgery, but I told him I wouldn't do it."

"Oh, sweetheart," Callie sighed, stroking her hair gently. "It's okay. I'm here. I've got you." Hushing her tenderly, she kept Arizona close, rubbing her back and her soft hair. It broke her heart to see Arizona's pain, her sensitive soul suffering with her patients. And Wallace was special, she knew that. "It's okay," she whispered again.

Gasping breaths made it hard to hear her and understand, the words painful and broken. "You can understand, right? Why I can't do this at work and come home to it too?" Arizona's eyes were rimmed with red when she lifted her head.

Nodding, Callie guided her head back to her shoulder. "I understand," she promised softly. "It's okay, Arizona. It's okay. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." She could argue - every kid got sick, but not every kid got sick like Wallace was sick. But that wasn't what Arizona needed from her so she whispered soothing sweet nothings in Spanish into her ear and held her. And even as it hurt to watch her love hurt, she knew she wouldn't want to be anywhere else if Arizona was in pain. Spanish nothings weren't enough and she started whispering promises of her life and forever, vows they'd already made that she intended to keep every day.

The tears slowed gradually as Arizona cried herself out, her body relaxing more heavily against Callie's but she didn't move, just pulled one arm free carefully and found the blanket on the back of the couch and spread it over them.

Arizona woke up with a groan almost an hour later, grumbling, "We need a new couch."

Callie sucked in a short breath as she woke up as well, chuckling as her words sunk in. "I'm off on Saturday. We can go shopping." A deeper breath and she ran a hand down Arizona's back. "How are you?"

"Were you waiting up for me?" she asked instead.

"Yes, of course I was. You were upset when you left and I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Arizona sighed, snuggling into her. "I love you." She planted a kiss to the first skin she could reach. "And I love you for waiting up, but we need to go to bed. This devil couch is going to kill my back." Shifting, Callie let Arizona sit up, stretching her own back for a series of satisfying pops. "Ouch," Arizona offered sympathetically. "Sorry. I guess I was squishing you."

Callie leaned in to kiss her softly, shaking her head. "Hush. There's nowhere I would have rather been tonight."

"Well, I'll admit, when I was thinking about you being underneath me tonight, that wasn't how it happened in my head." Callie just smiled and laughed quietly at the blonde's sorrowful sigh at the loss of her birthday sex. It was now well past dinner time and bumping up against the middle of the night, but Arizona's stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly. "I missed dinner."

"The boys ate a lot of it, but I saved some for you." Callie stood up and took her hand, pulling her toward the kitchen. "I wouldn't let them have any cake though."

Moaning, the blonde wrapped both arms around Callie's shoulders and plastered herself to her wife's back. "I love you," she repeated earnestly, letting herself be dragged along. "Like, a crazy, ridiculous amount."

"Because I saved _your_ birthday cake for you?" Callie asked with a chuckle, knowing exactly what she meant and feeling it herself. She was made to love Arizona Robbins. And Arizona Robbins was made to love her.

"Yes," she answered cheerfully. "Just for that!"

"So if I feed you cake for dinner?"

Warm lips pressed to her neck, scattering kisses. "Feed me cake and I'm yours forever," she promised. She was having the week from hell, watching a patient she cared deeply about suffer and die slowly while she could do nothing. But Callie knew the perfect thing to do, the exact thing to say to make her whole world brighter.

"You're that easy? Eternal devotion for some cake?" Callie teased, lifting the lid of her cake display and setting it aside.

"That looks amazing, Calliope," Arizona said earnestly, licking her lips as she looked at the thick, swirly chocolate icing covering her birthday cake. "It's not like I'm giving it up for some Little Debbie's or anything. Homemade or no love!"

Callie laughed heartily at that, slicing a good sized piece for them to share. "And if this cake has a layer of chocolate peanut butter fudge in it?" she asked, turning the plate so Arizona could see the layers. She took her answer from the extended moan against her neck. "I'm going to take that as eternal devotion. Would you get me a fork, please?"

Arizona was gone and back in a flash, pulling Callie around toward her and grabbing her face in both hands, kissing her without a word. Callie reached behind her blindly and put the plate on the table so both arms were free to wrap around Arizona without the possibility of smearing them with chocolate. A tongue slipped past her lips, battling her own tongue languidly. There was no need for dominance, not right now. Both hands slid into her hair, something she thought Arizona was unable to help before was now apparently completely beyond her control since her hair had been cut. She found ways to get her hands in it every day. Tugging lightly, Arizona changed the angle just slightly, sucking little nips to her bottom lip.

"Thank you," she murmured as the kiss slowed and stopped, both of them smiling.

"My pleasure," Callie hummed in answer. "Come here." Coaxing them toward to the table, she guided Arizona into her lap as she sat down. The blonde promptly flipped her leg over so she was straddling Callie's lap. "Oh," the Latina said, pleased but surprised by the change.

Arizona smiled almost shyly, the expression a contrast with their current position, two fingers pushing a lock of dark hair back gently. "You're not tired of being under me yet, are you?"

"Never," Callie promised, kissing her softly before she leaned her head around to find the plate and fork on the table. She shifted it closer to the edge and cut off a bite, balancing it carefully and bringing it back for Arizona. "Here. I hope you like it."

Taking her bite, blue eyes closed as she savored the melting chocolate on her tongue. "Calliope, if you didn't already have my love forever, you've definitely got it now." She licked her lips, a small moan slipping out. "More please?" Arizona requested, leaving her mouth open for it. Callie laughed but fed her another bite, free hand stroking invisible patterns on her wife's thigh.

Noise from the hall prefaced the appearance of Tim and Alex, Karev going straight for the cake. "Finally!"

Tim pecked a kiss to his sister's cheek on the way, smiling. "Happy birthday, Arizona."

"Thank you," she said graciously, directing the next bite of cake to Callie. "This cake is amazing. So you guys can have some, but save me like a quarter of it," she directed.

"What are you going to do with a quarter of this cake?" Alex questioned around his own mouthful.

Blue eyes rolled in his direction. "I'm going to eat it, duh!" She took the next bite Callie offered her. "Cause my wife made it for me and it's my birthday cake." And she had a feeling she would want the chocolate comfort after Wallace Anderson's case ended the way she knew it would. But she didn't say that part out loud.

Callie could see the emotion hiding behind the perky mask and she leaned up to kiss her, sharing the taste of the chocolate between them. Arizona's fingers slipped back into dark hair, her forehead leaning against Callie's. "Do we trust them not to eat all the cake?" Arizona looked sideways at the two men, considering and finally nodding. "Good, because I want to go upstairs." She kissed her jaw and down her neck. "I've got another present for you."

Arizona sighed, shaking her head and smiling. "Calliope, you know I don't like birthdays."

Callie's smirking wink was quickly changing her mind though. "You're going to like this. Trust me." Arizona forced her expression to remain unconvinced. "It's black." Blue eyes widened just slightly. "And red lace right around here." She traced her fingers across the tops of her breasts.

Abruptly Arizona was on her feet, hauling Callie up with her. "Good night, guys," she said quickly.

"Night," Alex answered, smirking knowingly as he finished his cake with one big bite.

Dragging her up the stairs, Arizona spun to kiss her as soon as she could, backing down the hall toward their bedroom without ceasing her affectionate display. Hands in hair, lips on lips, tongues against tongues, she didn't surrender any bit of it. Even on her worst day, Callie made her feel better and she just wanted to sink into that comfort and never, ever leave.

So she whined when Callie gently pulled away from her, hands on her shoulders keeping her at a distance. "Baby, I have to go change." Arizona just dragged her in for another series of kisses, Callie sucking on her tongue. "Mmh, Arizona…"

"You're hot just like this," Arizona pleaded, both hands slipping under her shirt to touch skin. "Calliope…" Their stumbling steps tumbled them into bed, the blonde whining in protest when her lover promptly rolled away.

"Honey, you're going to love it, I promise," Callie said, swatting hands from her hips. "Trust me."

Arizona grumbled as she flopped back into bed, thrashing the sheets with both hands while she sent a glare after her wife. "You owe me _so _big, Calliope," she stated, kicking her shoes off without lifting her head.

"Give me two minutes and I swear I will make it up to you," promised Callie earnestly, blowing her a kiss from the bathroom door. Closing the door behind herself after one last look at her frustrated wife, Callie was quick to strip out of her clothes. She could hear Arizona's continued fuming, the muted sound of one of her sneakers hitting the bathroom door between them, and Callie laughed loud enough that she knew Arizona would hear her.

Pulling her birthday surprise on, she took a moment to ruffle her hair, checking herself out in the mirror. Arizona was wild for her shorter haircut and of course her breasts looked spectacular, the red lace teasing the peaks of her cleavage while the black camisole clung to her curves. Matching red lace boy shorts completed the surprise and she gave her hair a final quick adjustment before she opened the door to return to the bedroom.

She got a surprise of her own when she found Arizona sprawled half out of her clothes and completely asleep in the middle of the bed. Callie couldn't help smiling, one hand coming up to cover her mouth while she watched Arizona breathe deeply though an open mouth. She was completely adorable. "Baby," Callie whispered, moving closer. There was no response and she coaxed the jeans down her perfect legs gingerly, cautious not to wake her.

Arizona only stirred when Callie tucked her carefully under the sheets, turning over to nestle closer and settling her head just above the red lace of her surprise. Callie just stroked soft fingers through her hair gently, smoothing a kiss to her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Arizona," she breathed, feeling an arm slide around her as she closed her eyes and sank into her partner's embrace.


	45. Chapter 37

Arizona felt like she was buried in paperwork, her office walls getting smaller through the sheer volume of papers around her. She loved heading the department, but all the paperwork was a pain in the ass. A knock on the door brought her head up with a groan. "Yes?"

"Dr. Robbins," Alex said as he opened the door. "There's some hot chick down in the lobby who says she's looking for you."

Blinking at him in disbelief, the blonde shook her head at him warningly. "I'm sure there's something else you meant to say, Karev. You can't call patient's parents 'hot chicks.'"

"She's not a parent," he said defensively. "She said she knows you from med school. And she's really hot! I stand by it!"

"Med school?" Arizona asked with a frown, trying to think. Most of the girls she'd gone to med school with hadn't stayed in touch. Except for… "Does she have red hair?" She stood up quickly. It couldn't be…

Alex grinned, bobbing an eyebrow at her. "Got it in one. Who is this chick? Ex-girlfriend?"

"None of your business," she shot back, shoving him out of her office ahead of her and pulling the door closed behind them. "And if you try and sleep with her, I'll kill you," she promised.

"Can you do that anymore?" he questioned, following her into the elevator. "You already got a girl. You can't call dibs on another one!" He arched an eyebrow at her smugly and crossed his arms over his chest. "You bored with marriage already?"

"Shut up!" ordered Arizona, spinning to slap his shoulder before kicking off on her wheels as soon as the doors opened. "That's not what this is! You just keep your hands to yourself, Alex. Seriously!"

He stopped chasing her as she took off, though he did call after her, "I'll just ask Torres what's going on then!"

Ignoring him, Arizona skidded around the corner skillfully, grinning when she caught sight of her friend at the counter. "Arizona Robbins, you're going to kill yourself on those things!"

Tall, thin, redheaded, and beautiful, Addison Montgomery hadn't changed at all.

"Oh, no way! It's never going to happen, Red!" Arizona denied with a grin, rolling to a quick stop and throwing her arms around the taller woman. "What are you doing in Seattle, Addie?" she questioned curiously. "You didn't call me!"

"Like you called me when you got _married_?" Addison sent back shortly, both hands on her shoulders pushing her friend back gently to stare her down. "Let me see it!"

Knowing what she wanted, Arizona offered her left hand with a cheerful grin, showing off her rings. "I love that your first request isn't to meet my wife, but to see my ring," she teased, rolling her eyes. Leaning back to get a better look at her old friend, she shook her head in amazement. They'd met in med school, bonded over their desired specialties, and had roomed together after their first semester. They'd been close through school, but residencies at different hospitals had separated them. "It's _so_ good to see you, Addie," she said earnestly. "You look so good! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you, obviously," Addie declared, swatting her shoulder as she twisted Arizona's hand from side to side to inspect her ring. "Your girl has good taste," she declared.

"Obviously," agreed Arizona happily, both of them laughing. "But seriously, what are you doing here? I know you're not just here to see me."

Addison grinned, auburn hair falling in her face. "So maybe I need to use your OR," she acknowledged. "And I could use a first assist if you know of anybody good," Addison teased, letting her hand go to hook her arm through Arizona's.

"Oh, like I'd let anyone else into an OR with you! I'm there." Spotting Callie coming around the corner, she dragged Addison forward rapidly. "Calliope, hey, I want you to meet somebody!"

The Latina barely slowed down, rushing toward the OR. "I'd love to, babe, but I've got emergency surgery," Callie said in a rush, dropping a kiss on her cheek as she dashed past, taking the stairs two at a time. "I can do lunch later. I'll page you."

Watching her go with a grin, Arizona shrugged at Addison. "So that was her, I'm guessing?"

"That's my wife," Arizona confirmed proudly. She was married to that woman. She wasn't sure that that fact wouldn't ever make her giddy. Two months in and it hadn't failed yet.

"Hot," Addison offered her approval. "What's her specialty?"

"Ortho. And I know!" Arizona's dimples were clearly on display as she bragged on her wife. "She's hardcore. She built bones for Timothy last year."

A frown dropped over her friend's expression. "Timmy? What happened to Timmy?" She'd met Arizona's brother before he'd deployed the first time, seen how close the two Robbins siblings were.

Shaking her head, Arizona started walking her friend back toward Peds. "He got blown up in Iraq. She had to replace the tibia and fibula in his right leg with titanium."

"Whoa," Addison commented.

"Yeah," agreed Arizona. "But they pulled it off and he's got his strength back and can walk and everything." She offered a smile, bumping her with an elbow. "And he's sleeping with Teddy." Addison had only met the heart surgeon once or twice, but she'd heard Arizona talk about her best friend enough that she knew who she was.

Laughing wildly, Addison slapped her friend's shoulder. "Oh, I bet you _love_ that!"

"And he lives with me, did I forget that part?"

Addison laughed harder. "So it's you and the wife…"

"Callie," Arizona supplied happily.

"You and Callie, and Tim and Teddy…?"

"And Karev," the blonde added. "The guy that came and found me for you. He's my fellowship student."

"You live with your brother and your fellow?" Addison asked, still laughing.

"And my wife," Arizona said again. She liked saying the word, though. "It's a bit crowded, I know."

The redhead scoffed. "It sounds like a frat house!"

"It kind of feels like a frat sometimes," she conceded, blue eyes rolling.

"So if I needed a place to stay…"

Arizona laughed at the instant image of her friend fighting with her sofa. "Our couch sleeps like a bitch, but it's yours if you want it. Callie and I have been meaning to replace it, but we keep getting busy. The boys haven't been around much lately though, so you could probably sleep in Tim's room since he'll be at Teddy's more than likely. I make no promises about how filthy it is in there though!"

"Don't worry about it," Addie said, waving it off. "If it's completely miserable, I'll just come in there and sleep with you." Arizona smirked sideways at her friend as she opened the door to her colorful ward. "You'd kick Callie out of bed for me, wouldn't you?"

"Um, _hell_ no," Arizona answered immediately, lowering her voice for the sake of the little ears but losing none of her stated conviction. She and Addison had shared a bed before (not in a sexual way - well, there was that _one_ drunken kiss, but that was never spoken of) but she wouldn't kick Callie out of her bed for anyone. "Welcome to my Peds ward," she offered, changing the subject.

"Yours?" asked Addison. "You're department head? Have you completely lost my number, woman?" Addison demanded, snatching the phone from her friend's pocket to check her contact list. "No! It's in here but somehow I'm not getting calls when your brother gets blown up, or you get promoted to department head, or when you get _married_!"

Shaking her head, Arizona offered an apologetic shrug. "It's been a busy year."

Abruptly Alex appeared in front of them. "Hey, boss."

She knew his sneaky look well and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "I told you to get lost, Karev."

"This is your guy?" Addie interjected, prompting a smug smile from Alex as she considered him.

"Alex Karev, Addison Montgomery," Arizona introduced them with a sigh. "Addie's staying with us for a few days. You be nice," she ordered.

"You're _the _Dr. Montgomery? I've heard of you. I read that paper you published last year on invitro neuro surgeries for strokes in the womb," Alex said, offering his hand while Addie arched an eyebrow at Arizona, the blonde shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "It was very impressive."

Arizona separated them with a sigh, shoving Alex back. "Yes, she's very impressive. We know. Karev, do we have any surgeries? Dr. Montgomery could use something to do. She could learn the layout of our ORs."

"Can I scrub in?" Alex asked eagerly.

The two women exchanged glances and Addison considered him again, eyes dragging from head to foot. "I don't know. Is he good?"

As much as she wanted to deny it and knock him down a peg, she couldn't just lie like that and restrained herself to a scoff. "I'm doing everything I can with him, so yeah, he's pretty good," she said, arms crossing her chest.

Alex grinned and dashed to collect a chart from the desk, leading them both to their patient's room. Behind him, Addison leaned over to whisper in Arizona's ear, "If the couch doesn't work out I could always just stay in his room." She ignored her friend's grimace, smirking to herself.

They'd already finished their surgery and were in the cafeteria before Callie got out of her own, Arizona answering her page to let her know where they were. Seeing her wife's blonde hair at a table across the room, Callie shuffled wearily in her direction. It was only lunch and it had already been such a long day. And her head was throbbing, not helping her bad day. Seeing Arizona laugh with the redheaded new arrival made her pause, still several yards from the table. She was in a bad mood, her emergent patient hadn't had much of a chance from the time she'd been paged by George to the ER, but it still hurt to lose one.

But it appeared that Arizona was having a good day. She didn't want to spoil it with her own funky attitude. Sighing, she found her pager on her hip. She'd leave Arizona to her good day and maybe a nap in an on-call room would turn her around. Typing on her pager to let her wife know that she wasn't going to make it, Callie turned to leave the cafeteria.

Arizona turned to follow Addison's gaze as the redhead leaned over to look at something behind her, but was distracted by her pager buzzing on her hip. "Aww, Calliope says she's got a consult. I guess you'll have to meet her when we get home."

"I think I just saw her leave," Addison said. "Sorry, Arizona."

Spinning on her chair as though she could see Callie even though Addison had just said that she was gone, Arizona sighed and frowned. "You saw her?"

"I think it was her, but I wouldn't know, remember?"

Still pouting, Arizona turned back to her lunch, reluctantly taking a bite of the last piece of key lime pie she'd gotten off the line for Callie. "Well, I guess tell me about this surgery you're here to do," she suggested.

Addison bumped her with an elbow, shaking her head. "Try not to be so enthusiastic, Robbins. It's just a baby who is going to be born with her heart in upside down. The aorta and vena cava are connected in the wrong places."

"Whoa," Arizona acknowledged, eyes going wide. "The mother came into your clinic?" Though she was a surgeon, Addison's primary job was at a fertility clinic in Los Angeles.

"Yes," Addison stole a bite of pie, redirecting Arizona's hand and fork to her mouth, "But we don't have the surgical facility to deal with all the complications we might find." She offered her friend a smirk. "And you're up here, so I figured I'd throw you a bone and bring you a surgery."

Blue eyes rolled, Arizona scoffing. "When's the mom coming in?"

"C-section is scheduled for tomorrow. Does nine work for you?"

"I'll be there," agreed Arizona.

Alex ran by out of nowhere, stuffing a banana into his mouth even as he spoke. "Me too, boss!" He was gone before Arizona could say anything.

By the time she got home Callie's disappearance at lunch had been completely forgotten as she brought Addison to the house, their late arrival meaning that the elder Robbins was busy in the kitchen when they got home, cooking one of his favorite pastimes.

"Hey!" Arizona called as they came through the door, both women shaking rain off their jackets. "Anybody home?" she asked just before catching the scent of dinner on the air. "Calliope? Tim?" It was an even shot between which one of them might be cooking.

"Tim!" he called back from the kitchen. "Callie's not with you?"

He sounded confused by the unusual occurrence that they weren't coming home together and Arizona sighed and frowned. "No. I actually haven't seen her at all today. She's not home yet?"

Shaking his head, Tim turned from flipping steaks on the stove. "Not unless she snuck in and went straight up to your room."

Even as he said it, the front door opened, Callie stomping the rain off her shoes in the doorway. "Oh, sorry," she offered, noticing the others in the kitchen. "It's going to get icy tonight. It's getting cold out there." Her teeth were chattering as she spoke and a shiver raced down her spine while rain dripped from her hair.

"I'm glad you're home. I was about to start worrying about you," Arizona said, moving back down the hall to greet her, both hands on her chest as she took a quick kiss.

"Here I am," Callie said, smiling weakly. She wasn't feeling any better, her headache only making her bad day worse as it grew throughout the afternoon. The fact that she hadn't eaten all day wasn't helping her either.

And of course Arizona could see it, the concern in her blue eyes clear. "Are you okay?" she asked considerately. A gentle hand touched her cheek and slid over her forehead. Callie felt a little warm even under the icy rainwater clinging to her skin, but she didn't say anything.

"Just tired," sighed the brunette, forcing her smile not to slip. "But I'm fine."

"Okay," Arizona agreed slowly, taking her hand to lead her down the hall to where Tim and Addison were catching up. "Look who I found." Addison turned with a smile, arms already open for a hug. "Addison Montgomery, old friend and med school roommate, this is Calliope Torres, love of my life and my wife," Arizona introduced them, surprised when Addison swept Callie into a hug. "You've been in L.A. too long," she commented as she stepped back from the embracing pair.

"How come she doesn't get a 'watch the hands' warning?" Tim teased, smirking at her.

"Because she's straight," Arizona shot back. "And has never admired my wife's body right in front of me!"

He just shrugged, putting a steak onto the plate next to the stove. "Give her time. They just met!"

Considering that, Arizona cleared her throat. "Watch the hands, Addie."

That got her a look from both friend and wife, Callie smiling politely. "Excuse her. And please, call me Callie," she requested.

"Addie," Addison echoed. "I've only heard wonderful things, Callie. It's nice to finally meet you. Arizona hasn't been able to shut up about you all day." She sent a wicked smile over her shoulder at her friend, hooking an arm through Callie's.

"Isn't it disgusting?" Tim chimed in teasingly, Arizona sticking her tongue out at him.

"We are _not _disgusting!" she yelped defensively. "We're adorable!"

Pretending to think about that, Addison just laughed, directing her attention to Callie. "From everything I've heard about you, you kind of define badass." Callie cocked an eyebrow at her silently. "My question is, how'd you end up with the queen of perk over there?"

Arizona jumped forward to pull Callie to her side, noting the quickly recovered stumble Callie had on the way but not saying anything about it. "Hey! You're both just jealous! You wish you could get a girl so awesome to marry you!" she declared stubbornly.

Tim lifted a hand. "Hey, you know I have asked. She just shuts me down!"

Smirking tiredly, Callie leaned her head over onto Arizona's shoulder while Addison laughed. "I hear you're sleeping with Teddy anyways," the redhead shot back. "And I take my steak medium rare."

"You're getting well done," he countered, pretending petulance and pointing his metal bladed spatula at her. "And you'll like it!"

"I'm so glad we live with such mature people," Arizona murmured to Callie, taking her hand in between them. "Are you okay?" she asked again, keeping her voice down as Tim and Addie playfully bickered. "You seem… off tonight."

Feeling the throbbing ache behind her eyes, Callie just took another slow, steady breath. "I'm just tired. And hungry. Head hurts," she mumbled. "Didn't get lunch."

"Aww," Arizona cooed sympathetically. "I wish you could have made it down, sweetie. I stole you the last piece of key lime pie. I almost had to bite an intern for it!" she joked.

It earned her a small smile and Callie lifted her head slowly. "Listen, I don't want to be rude with your friend here, but I kind of feel miserable and I'm sure I'm going to be paged in once there's ice on the roads, so maybe I'll just take some cereal and go upstairs?" she suggested, her voice low. "I can stay…"

"No, it's okay," Arizona assured her, squeezing her hand before releasing it. "Go ahead."

Callie was sleeping by the time they called it a night on the reminiscing, the Latina sprawled on her front and breathing deeply in the middle of their bed. Arizona kept the lights off as she changed into sleep clothes (a pilfered long sleeve t-shirt of Callie's from the University of Miami) and slid into bed with her wife, Callie moving in her sleep to give her space to join her. Testing her forehead with the back of a hand showed that she was still warm, but she was sleeping soundly so it didn't appear anything was bothering her.

* * *

><p>Fun fact: The case mentioned in this chapter (the baby born with their heart in backwards) is taken from my life... Obviously I survived and grew up to be awesome... :D<p> 


	46. Chapter 38

Scrubbing out of her successful surgery with Addison, Arizona couldn't help feeling excited. They'd saved a baby's life in there. And with any luck, she wouldn't even need further surgery.

At her elbow, Karev grinned across the sink partition at her. "You going to find Torres and tear up an on-call room?" he asked knowingly.

"We do not do that after _every_ surgery, Karev," she reminded him, eyes rolling even as she smiled at the thought. That was _exactly_ what she wanted to do, but no way in hell was she going to admit it to Alex. "Just the big ones," she murmured under her breath.

"Dude, this was a pretty big one. And that's what I'm going to do if I can find a girl," he said with a shrug. "I bet it won't even take me ten minutes to find someone. We saved a baby! Chicks go crazy for that crap! Dr. Montgomery, what are you going to do?"

Arizona quickly turned her head the other way to glare, shaking her head warningly. Addie and Alex had been flirting through the whole surgery and she was still striving to convince either one of them that doing anything would be a bad idea. Addison just smirked at her.

"You know what?" Arizona declared, shaking her head. "I've got my own girl to find, so you two just do whatever you want."

Looking at each other and grinning, Alex and Addison both laughed. "Now you're taking the fun out of it, Robbins!" she said. "Tell Callie we said hey, though!"

Leaving the scrub room with a smirk over her shoulder, Arizona tried to think of where Callie was supposed to be this afternoon. Her name wasn't on the surgical board but she knew that the Ortho surgeon had been scheduled for a surgery so she had to be around somewhere. After checking the research lab, the ER, and the cafeteria though, she was less sure. And none of her pages had been answered either.

"Do you know where Dr. Torres is?" a resident she dimly recognized as Callie's sometimes research assistant stopped her to ask, the question drawing an immediate frown to her face.

"You haven't seen her either?" She didn't like the sound of this at all.

"Dr. Robbins…" Owen's expression was sober.

"Oh God, what happened?" the blonde asked of the Trauma surgeon. "Callie?" She'd already checked the ER but that fact slipped her mind in the face of her growing worry.

"She missed her surgery," he said, shaking his head. "You haven't seen her, have you?"

"What?" Arizona questioned, her brow furrowing. "So _no_ _one's_ seen her today?" she asked of the pair, both shaking their heads. "She wasn't supposed to come in until after I left this morning, but I don't know why she would still be at home. She didn't feel really well last night, but…" Even though someone else had surely already tried something as simple as calling her, Arizona dug her phone out of the pocket of her coat and held the speed dial for Callie.

Her anxiety only rose when there was no answer. Shaking her head at Owen, he rubbed his bearded jaw as they both tried to think. "And she's not in her lab?"

"No, I just checked," Arizona answered him. "And she's not answering her phone. I'm going to go home and look for her. Can you get Karev or Dr. Montgomery to cover for me? If you page him, I'm sure she'll come along," she said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew both of them too well to think they were just flirting to mess with her.

The house was dark and quiet when she got home, leaving the door open behind her as she ran straight up the stairs. Their bed was empty, the sheets rumpled. That didn't mean anything - Callie wasn't one to make the bed. Muttering anxiously under her breath, Arizona went back down the stairs, dialing Callie again as she took the steps two at a time. "Come on, baby, answer the phone," she pleaded with the ringer, growing more worried by the second.

Leaving a message, she hung up and drove back to the hospital, leaving the house empty behind her. Owen was in the ER as she entered, but he just shook his head, a frown settling into the deep lines between his eyes as he watched her run through his Emergency Room.

She didn't hang up the phone, just constantly dialing and redialing Callie while she rechecked every room she could think that her wife might have gone to. Arizona wasn't even sure what floor she was on by the time she threw open an on-call room door to spot a familiar head of dark hair on the bottom bunk.

"Oh, thank God," she sighed, hanging up the phone as she heard Callie's phone buzzing on the sheets and shooting a text to Owen to let him know that the missing Ortho surgeon had been found. Her relief at finding her was short-lived as she reached to shake Callie awake and felt the heat of fever radiating through her clothes. "Oh my God!"

Thumbing a button, she called Owen. "I found her but there's something wrong. She's feverish." Callie stirred under her touch, grunting in protest and trying to move away. She didn't open her eyes, though. "We're in an on-call room on three, I think, about halfway between the nurses' station and the elevators."

He promised that he was on his way and Arizona shoved her phone back into her coat pocket, leaning over Callie. "Calliope, baby, wake up," she coaxed gently, drawing another groan as Callie flinched away from her touch. Hushing her, Arizona checked the pulse in her neck with two fingers, anxiety making her forget the presence of the stethoscope in her pocket. "Callie?"

Brown eyes forced themselves to flicker open, finding her in the dimness after a few seconds of searching. "Hey," Callie ground out, her voice hoarse. A cough echoed her greeting. "I don't feel good." The coughing grew worse. "I think I'm sick."

"I know you are," Arizona agreed softly, testing her forehead again with one hand. "You're burning up. And you missed your surgery. What's the last thing you remember?"

More coughing, Callie's body curling in on itself. "I came in here to lay down just for a minute." She grimaced painfully. "I missed my surgery? What the…?"

Arizona sighed, kneeling next to the bed. "Calliope, you've been in here for hours. You weren't answering your phone. We've been trying to find you. I went home, checked the lab…" she choked without meaning to, "I've been _so_ worried about you…"

Callie's frown was distracted, but she reached up unsteadily to find Arizona's face with one hand, Arizona's free hand covering it to keep from getting poked in the eye. "Ariz-ona," an involuntary sigh split up her name. "M'sorry."

"Shh, no, it's okay. Owen's coming and we're going to get you checked out and figure out why you're so hot," Arizona reassured them both, smoothing hair back from her face gently.

"Hot," Callie echoed, too fuzzy and exhausted to be witty. And she loved Arizona, she really did, more than anything, but all she wanted to do at that exact moment was to go back to the unconscious place she'd been before her wife had dragged her awake. But fainting would only scare the worried woman who loved her, so Callie endeavored to keep herself awake. "Talk to me," she requested drowsily.

It brought a smile to Arizona's lips, the blonde leaning over to kiss her forehead softly, Callie following her cool lips unconsciously. "You're beautiful," Arizona whispered, Callie's scoffing laugh becoming a choking cough.

"Liar," Callie said when she could, blinking reddened eyes at her.

Owen's arrival brought a relieved sigh from Arizona, the blonde moving to give him room next to the bed. Checking Callie quickly, he nodded for Arizona to help him. "Callie, baby, we're going to help you sit up, okay? Just slide your arm around my neck," she coaxed, guiding the arm behind her head. Callie fumbled but obeyed, her eyes falling closed again. "Stay awake for me, sweetie," Arizona whispered, exchanging anxious glances with Owen.

"Let's get her a CBC, try and figure out what she's got," he said calmly, his own grip steady as he coached them out of the on-call room and Callie into a waiting wheelchair.

"I can draw the blood and do the tests. I'm sure you've got work to do," Arizona offered, though she was still obviously anxious.

He just shook his head patiently at her. "No, Dr. Robbins. This is your wife. You can't treat her."

Arizona rolled her eyes toward him, seeing his excuse for what it was. "Owen…" She sighed. "Thank you." She'd be a shaky mess if she had to stick Callie with a needle right now. And that wouldn't do either one of them any good.

She stayed at the wheelchair's side as he pushed it toward an exam room, helping Callie up and onto the bed while Owen pulled on some gloves and set up an IV of fluids. Callie groaned when he drew her blood, Arizona finding her hand and holding it. "Callie, what symptoms are you having?"

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, Callie rubbed at her eyes. "Coughing, fever, chills, achy, I'm lightheaded, and I don't remember the last time I actually ate anything, so I'm more than likely dehydrated…"

"Calliope!" Arizona rebuked her shortly. "Why didn't you tell me it was that bad? You just said you didn't feel good!"

"Well, I'm sorry you don't feel well, Callie, but it doesn't sound like anything serious," Owen reminded Arizona mildly, sharing a patient smile with Callie. "We'll check if it's bacterial or viral and we'll get you some medication."

"Thank you, Owen," said Callie, rubbing Arizona's hand soothingly and drawing her to sit on the edge of the bed. He smiled and left them, Callie dropping her head back against the pillows. "I'm fine, Arizona."

A scoff answered her, fingers squeezing her hand. "You are clearly _not_ fine, Calliope! And you didn't tell me! I could have - I wouldn't have freaked out…"

"Yes, you would have," Callie disagreed, smiling weakly at her.

Arizona sighed, almost pouting. "Okay, yeah, I probably would have, but…"

"I didn't want to worry you," interjected the Latina softly. "I'm sorry. Addison is here, and you guys had your big surgery…"

"Calliope Torres, if you think anything is more important to me than you are…" Arizona started, voice sharp and short. There was no one or nothing more important to her than her wife and if Callie didn't know that…

"I'm not dying, Arizona," Callie reminded her, keeping her own tone soft. "I just have a cold."

Blue eyes just narrowed at her. "A cold you apparently haven't done anything to take care of!" Arizona shot back. "You haven't been eating, Calliope! And you're dehydrated! You were fainted in an on-call room and couldn't hear your phone!" Hearing it listed out all at once, it didn't sound great and Callie grimaced. "Exactly," Arizona said, still short. Seeing her partner's meek expression, she softened. Callie was going to be okay, nothing bad had happened. She breathed a sigh of relief, picking up Callie's hand and kissing the back. "I just want you to be okay."

"I'm going to be fine," Callie promised. "Tell me how your surgery went. Is the baby okay?"

Relaxing into her seat at the edge of the bed, Arizona pulled Callie's hand onto her leg, playing idly with her fingers. "It went really well. She's going to be fine as long as there aren't any complications. Addie says the mom might actually have to be in the hospital longer than the baby."

"That's so great, babe!" the Latina said excitedly, her voice rough and hoarse. "You guys should go celebrate tonight!"

Blinking, the blonde frowned lightly. "What? Calliope, I'm not leaving you home alone when you don't feel good!"

Callie laughed. "Arizona, you should visit with your friend. I'll just get cozy on the couch with a movie and you'll see me when you get home. There's no reason for you to stay home just because I'm sick."

"Calliope…"

"Arizona…" Callie matched her tone and smiled tiredly. "I wish I could rock your world and let you know how proud of you I am, but you deserve to celebrate the _awesome_ work you did today. Please go out?" she requested, pulling out the puppy eyes she knew Arizona couldn't resist.

Sighing, Arizona relented. "You're kind of mean when you're sick, you know that?"

"You should have fun with your friend," insisted Callie, coughing lightly. "Not sit around the house and watch me watch TV. I'll be here in two days, but Addison's got to go back to L.A., doesn't she?"

Arizona knew she was right, and appreciated the thoughtfulness, but she didn't like the thought of Callie sick and alone at home. "Yes, but…"

"No buts," she interjected, shaking her head. "It's settled. You're going out."

Owen's return prefaced any response from Arizona, the Trauma surgeon sliding on a new pair of gloves and prepping an injection. "It's viral and going around, so this should help you feel better soon." Callie offered her arm with a sigh, squeezing Arizona's hand as she felt the needle prick her. "And I let the Chief know you were going home."

"Thank you, Owen," Callie said graciously, clearly tired.

Arizona considered her as the redhead left them again. "I will go out tonight under two - no, three conditions," she bargained. Callie lifted an eyebrow to show that she was listening. "Number one, you will sleep in here until I get off work so I can take you home. I don't want you driving if you're so sick." Amused, Callie smiled quietly. "Number two, I'm not leaving tonight until you eat something. So, on the way home, I'm stopping and getting you some soup and I want you to eat it." Callie murmured something that sounded like 'bossy' but Arizona ignored her. "Number three, I will call Timothy every hour to make sure that you're parked on the couch, preferably sleeping."

"Doesn't Tim have a date with Teddy tonight?"

"Not anymore he doesn't," Arizona declared stubbornly. "Do you agree to the conditions?"

"Do I have a choice?" Callie asked through a cough, her eyes already sliding closed helplessly.

"Nope," said the blonde, leaning in to peck her cheek gently. "You get started on term number one and I'll come check on you in a little bit."

Callie coughed, shaking her head in denial. "How about this?" she asked over Arizona's protest. "We go home and I'll lay down upstairs and you and Addison and Teddy and the boys can all have the living room, but I'll be close by so you can check on me all the time."

Pursing her lips, the blonde considered. She would like to spend time with Addison, but leaving Callie home like this wasn't an option she liked. "Girls' night, no boys, but I want you on the couch where I can keep an eye on you," she bargained. Fingers combed through dark hair tenderly, Callie nuzzling her face into the touch.

"You take good care of me," murmured the Latina, breathing slowly.

"I try," Arizona countered, free hand fussing with the blankets. "Do we have a deal?"

One brown eye peeked open. "You really want to spend your night at home, making Addison and Teddy sit around the house so you can make sure I'm sleeping?" She looked doubtful, even with only one eye open. "I really won't be upset if you want to go out. You deserve to celebrate."

"I really want to stay home with my sick wife, taking care of you," Arizona insisted, smiling. Even sick, Callie was beautiful. And she had a not so secret fondness for drowsy Calliope. "Now will you please go to sleep and I'll come get you in a little while?" she requested, kissing her between the eyes again.

Callie was obedient for the rest of the day, dozing in the commandeered exam room and curling under a blanket on the couch at home with a bowl of soup within reach on the coffee table. Arizona didn't feel the slightest bit guilty either as she shot a warning look across the room at Addison as the redhead dropped her bag noisily on the floor.

"Arizona, sweetheart," Callie called her down calmly, eyes closed. "I really do appreciate you looking after me, but you guys don't have to be quiet. I'm going to be sleeping through everything tonight, I think."

And she was right, dozing off in only a few minutes. Arizona stayed close though, sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Addison across the coffee table from her. The Neonatal surgeon just watched with a smile as her friend adjusted the blanket over her wife's sleeping form. "I'm sorry I haven't gotten to see much of her." She laughed quietly as Arizona looked back at her. Her feeling for her partner was clear on her face. "You've got it bad, girl."

"Of course," Arizona said, unable to help smiling. "I married her, Addie."

"I know. I've just never seen you like this with anyone."

Because she'd never been with anyone like Callie before. And no one she'd ever known made her feel the way Callie made her feel. "I don't really know how to explain it," she said softly. "She's everything I want. And she amazes me every single day that I'm with her." A grin split her face as she looked back down at Callie then across the room at her friend. "I get to have that for the rest of my life. How freaking lucky am I?"

Sighing enviously, Addison leaned forward to swat her shoulder lightly. "Lucky. Damn lucky. Lucky enough to make me _almost_ hate you. If only you hadn't married someone so incredible and made it harder for me."

"You barely even met her! Which I hate, by the way. I wanted you two to get to know each other," Arizona complained lightly, relaxing back against the couch. "You guys would really get along, I think."

"Well, I'm sure you know this about the place you work, but people talk around that place," Addison said with a laugh, Arizona rolling her eyes. "But people like her there. The talk I heard was all good. There was some mention of her _husband_, though…"

Blue eyes narrowed. "Did Alex tell you about that? Because we might not have a boss to threaten him with anymore, but I can still find a way to get him."

"It wasn't Alex," Addison said with a laugh. "But it did make me _slightly_ curious."

Arizona sighed. "They were only married for a few months before she moved here. And both of them admit that it was a mistake. They're divorced," she recited the simplified summary of events.

"But he came here after her?" the redhead asked mildly.

"She's married to _me_ now, Addison. Drop it," Arizona instructed. "I'm not George O'Malley. Marrying her was the best thing I've ever done. And I would never cheat on her like he did."

Clearing her throat, Addison wisely agreed. "That's what I hear about the two of you - that you're ridiculously in love and happy. Everyone that talked to me said the same thing."

"That's what I like to hear," Arizona muttered, both of them looking across the dim room to where Teddy was letting herself in, her arms loaded down with supplies for their girls' night. "About time you got here," the seated blonde greeted her with a grin.

They were on their third glass of wine and their first movie and Arizona was still turning every few minutes to check on Callie, who was still sleeping peacefully. Addison pushed a refilled wineglass into her hand with a playful twinkle in her blue eyes. "You really are different with her, Robbins. It's a good different, though."

Teddy chimed in around a mouthful of chips, "They've been disgustingly into each other since their second date!" She took a sip from her beer, eyes narrowed at her best friend. "And their first date wasn't even a date! They got drunk and went home together!"

"Hey!" Arizona barked in her own defense, unintentionally too loud. Callie didn't stir though. "You were at our _wedding_!"

"Which I wasn't invited to!" Addison added, getting in on the teasing of the Peds surgeon.

Throwing up both hands, Arizona finished her wine and stood up, catching herself on the edge of the sofa. "I'm getting the whisky from the kitchen. Who needs? Addie, I'd invite you to my next wedding, but I'm making sure this one sticks. And Teddy, if we're so disgusting you don't have to hang out at _our_ house all the time."

"I didn't say I didn't like it. I was just commenting that it's been going on since the beginning," Teddy defended herself, draining her beer and holding out the empty bottle. "And a fresh one, please and thank you."

"Tell me more about this beginning," Addison requested of the heart surgeon, sipping slowly on her own wine.

* * *

><p>May the 4th be with you! :D<p> 


	47. Chapter 39

By the time they were slowing down on the drinks and the talking, Arizona was listening to her friends laughing as though they were old friends while she, decidedly less drunk than either of them, tidied up and tried to anticipate anything Callie might need through the night and in the morning. At least drinking with Teddy had kept Addison from sleeping with Alex. "Shh," she hushed them, the lack of light in the room meaning that they were lit by just the blue flickering glow of the television.

The other two women hushed each other and then broke into drunken giggles. "Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Arizona gave the final word as a key slipped into the front door. Tim opened the door and stepped inside. Arizona leaned over the back of the couch to brush dark hair back, kissing Callie's temple softly as she greeted her brother with a smile. "Hey," she whispered. "What are you doing here? You're hardly here anymore."

He grinned, gesturing to Teddy. "You've gone and liquored up my girl," he reasoned, crossing his arms over his chest. "How's yours?"

"She's been sleeping pretty much since we got home," Arizona answered, unconsciously mirroring his pose. "But she ate some soup and she's been drinking water."

"Did you ladies have a nice night?" Tim asked, Teddy rounding the couch (and miraculously not tripping over anything) and throwing her arms around him.

Teddy and Addison promptly pointed across the room at each other. "She's awesome!" they declared in unison.

"They're drunk," Arizona translated patiently, rolling her eyes. "Could you be the best brother ever and get them some coffee? Decaf?"

Tim obliged with a smile, steadying Teddy on her feet. "Let me know if you need any help with Callie."

Moving around the couch, Arizona shifted the pizza box Teddy had brought to the floor so she could sit on the coffee table in front of Callie. She leaned over with her elbows on her knees, reaching forward to stroke her cheek, the touch drawing her eyes open with a soft sigh. Arizona was relieved to feel that the feverish heat of Callie's skin appeared to have gone down since the last time she had checked.

"Hey, gorgeous," she whispered, cupping her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Callie yawned, stretching. "I feel a little better. Not as warm." Even as she said it, she shivered under the blankets. "How was your night? D'you have fun?" she asked with a sleepy smile that was completely charming.

Arizona couldn't resist switching her seat on the low table for the edge of the cushion in front of Callie. Hands on her hips helped guide her into the curve of the brunette's body, Arizona resting her arm up Callie's side to trail her fingers across her face. "We did have fun," Arizona said softly. "I wish you were feeling better though."

"You just like me with some tequila in me," Callie teased, blinking as she turned her head back into the pillow.

A dimpled smirk appeared. "Well, yeah, I guess I do." Gentle fingers stroked through her hair. "Sleep and some food looks good in you too," she added.

Strong arms wrapped her up, tugging her impossibly closer. "I'm glad you stayed home. I would have missed you," she said in a burst of unselfconscious confession. She turned her head to look up at Arizona, blinking slowly in the dark. "Can we go to bed? M'still sleepy."

Stretching, Arizona nodded willingly. "I would _love_ to go to bed." She was surprised by her own earnestness. She wanted nothing more than to slide into bed with her wife and spend the night wrapped up in her arms.

Callie sat up slowly, eyes closing as she felt a wave of lightheadedness. Arizona guided an arm around her shoulders and she smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"I'm not going to let you fall. Just lean on me," Arizona coaxed, helping her stay steady while they stood. Raising her voice slightly to be heard in the kitchen, she called, "We're heading upstairs. Have fun sleeping it off!" Grumbles and giggles echoed behind them.

Keeping the lights off in their room, they changed in the dark, leaving clothes where they dropped. Normally it would drive Arizona crazy to leave a mess, but it was easy to ignore in the dark. Callie moaned lightly as she settled into the sheets. "Brr," she whispered, whining a little. "They're cold."

"I'm coming," Arizona promised with a private smile. Miami-girl Callie hated to be cold. Callie already had the covers pulled back for her and the blonde twitched herself as she touched the cool sheets. The warm body that curled against her back helped though. And the hand that slid over her hipbone to palm her stomach did even more toward warming her up.

Then there was the warm breath on her ear, the warm lips trailing down the side of her neck. "Love you," Callie murmured, her eyes already closed.

The simple words made her heart skip a beat and Arizona dragged her fingers over the arm wrapped around her. "I love you too."

It was still dark and Callie was fuzzy as she woke up, groggy and out of it until she heard the hoarse breathing from the other side of the bed. Her first thought was that she'd gotten Arizona sick but then choked sobs reached her ears and she instinctively closed the space between them, wrapping both arms around her wife's shaking form. "Arizona, please, what's wrong?" she pleaded hoarsely, hanging on just a little tighter when the blonde tried to move.

"You need to sleep," Arizona reminded her, trying again to shift. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just go downstairs."

"You're not going anywhere crying," said Callie, keeping her voice low. It wasn't light outside, but she couldn't turn to see the time. Not if it meant Arizona might slip out of her arms. "Talk to me," she requested. "Please." Arizona hiccupped back more tears. "Or don't talk if you don't want to," Callie added. "Just stay with me and cry if you need to."

Relenting, Arizona turned into her, burying her face in Callie's shoulder and sobbing. Arizona wasn't loud when she cried, just tears and trembling. It broke Callie's heart every single time. Her own sickly mental haze was pushed aside in the need to comfort Arizona. The blonde's hands were wound tight in her shirt and Callie stroked her hair, her back, anything she could hope would comfort her clearly hurting wife. What the hell could have happened though? Arizona hadn't left their bed since they'd climbed into it.

"Wallace… he-he-he…"

Arizona's whimper explained everything. Her patient had held on longer than anyone could have expected him to before he'd finally slipped into a coma, his body too small, too tired from fighting his disease for so much of his young life. Life support was not a permanent solution though, and Arizona had advised the Andersons that he wasn't likely to wake up. It had been torment for everyone to see him like that.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," Callie whispered, holding her tighter and unconsciously rocking her as best she could from their position on their sides. "I'm _so_ sorry." She'd do anything to be able to take this pain from Arizona, shield her from it, but all she could do was give her partner a safe place to let it out. And even as Arizona cried on her shoulder, she was a little grateful that the Chief had called Arizona at home in the middle of the night instead of waiting to tell her in the morning at work where the blonde would have undoubtedly bottled up all this grief. "I've got you, sweetheart," Callie soothed her, closing her eyes as she felt tears soaking through her shirt. "I love you, Arizona. I love you more than anything."

Callie was choking up herself and she was surprised when Arizona hummed against her chest. "Bad dreams, bad…"

"What? Sweetie…?"

"B-bad dre-ams, go away. Good dreams, good d-dreams, here to stay…" Arizona's pained whimper broke her heart as the blonde collapsed into further tears. "You have to - three times." She couldn't speak further for sobbing and burrowed back into Callie's warm, safe support.

Catching her breath, Callie kissed the top of her head and wrapped her arms even more securely around her crying, broken wife. "Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay," she whispered, humming softly. "Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay. Bad dreams, bad dreams, go away. Good dreams, good dreams, here to stay. Like that?" Arizona nodded against her shoulder but didn't lift her head, squirming a leg between Callie's so that they were hopelessly tangled together.

Waking up the next morning, Arizona found Callie sprawled across the rest of the bed, one arm thrown heavily over her shoulders. She slipped free with a sad but loving smile, crawling back to kiss her cheek softly. The fever appeared to have broken sometime in the night because Callie's skin felt normal. Her breathing was still slightly raspy, but she was sleeping peacefully and Arizona slid out of bed with a final soft kiss. She didn't know how she'd gotten so lucky, but she was grateful everyday that Callie Torres had been the one she'd picked up in Joe's that night. She needed to send that man a gift, now that she was thinking about it. Because she dealt with patients dying, had had nights like the one she'd had last night, but the only way she'd been able to sleep, to get through it, was in Callie's arms.

She laughed when she found Addison slumped over the kitchen counter watching the coffee drip into the pot. "Good morning?" Arizona asked wickedly. She'd drunk decidedly less than either of her friends but she knew what their hangovers had to feel like.

"No," the redhead groaned. "Thank you for not having obnoxiously loud sex like Teddy did."

Arizona groaned as well, hating the image that flashed through her head. "Oh, come on! That's gross! And mean!" Taking two mugs down, she made sure to clink them together close to Addison's ear, the taller woman jerking upright and glaring at her.

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry! Can I please have some coffee?"

Pouring them each a mug, Arizona handed it over and Addison took hers to the table, slumping into a chair and taking a sip of her drink, hissing at the heat. Arizona just leaned back against the kitchen counter while she blew on her own coffee. Standing in her kitchen, the love of her life sleeping upstairs, and her brother down the hall, her friends scattered around - her life was pretty perfect at the moment, even after what she'd gone through last night.

There was just one thing she wasn't sure about. Something Callie wanted. She claimed to be willing to give it up for her, but she had promised to think about it, promised to try and want it too. Even after last night, the pain of losing a child, a pain she knew would be exponentially worse if it was her own child, she had made a promise to Callie and she was going to do her best to keep it. And there was no one better to help her with it than the woman sitting at her coffee table.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" Arizona asked before she could lose her nerve.

Addison could hear the serious tone in her friend's voice and her brows furrowed over her coffee. "Of course. What's up?"

"It's kind of… Callie wants a baby."

That got the redhead up straight in her seat, blinking wide eyes at her. "Wha-Arizona! You - do you - you always said… This isn't something you guys just talked about last night, is it?"

Arizona laughed dryly, curling both hands around her mug, glad for the smooth warmth of the porcelain on her skin. Watching the steady surface of her coffee gave her a focus to keep her hands from shaking. "No, Addie. We've talked about it. We wouldn't have gotten married without coming to an understanding about a _baby_."

"Does that mean you want a baby now?" Addison asked eagerly, smile growing on her lips. "Because I would be _so_ willing to help you with that! And how _cute_ would that baby be? No matter which one of you it looked like, it would be adorable!" Her voice was rising in pitch and volume and Arizona hushed her, still chuckling.

"I don't know, Addie. I _want_ to want a baby. Because Callie would be an amazing mother. And I want to see that. I really do. And she said she wouldn't do it without me. She wants to raise a tiny human with me! But it scares the hell out of me to say that I can give her that." She sipped her coffee, meeting her friend's eyes solidly.

"What can I do? I can help you guys have a baby, but I don't know what you want me to do here," Addison asked curiously.

Arizona shrugged. "Tell me something that will make it less terrifying?" she nervously requested. Because the thought of opening herself up to pain like last night scared the shit out of her. Other people could do that, Callie could do that, because she had the biggest heart of anyone she'd ever known, but she wasn't one of those people.

The redhead smiled slowly, shaking her head. "Arizona Robbins, you're worried about a kid that's not even made yet. But you don't think every parent out there _hasn't _been terrified at the thought of having a baby? It's a scary thought!"

"This really isn't what I meant," Arizona commented, swallowing hard.

"Arizona, worrying about their kids is what a parent does. I think you're doing fine with it," Addison said, still smiling. "You're just not ready _yet_. And there's nothing wrong with that. You're newlyweds, surgeons, there's a lot going on in your life. Just give yourself some time. Someday maybe it won't feel so scary. Because you'll be doing it with Callie." Arizona smiled unconsciously. She could do anything with Callie. "And whenever that day comes, you _call me_ and we'll help you knock up your woman," Addison finished, putting emphasis on the instruction to call her.

Arizona had to roll her eyes to keep them from rolling back in her head at the sudden mental image of Callie pregnant. Because it was undeniably one of the most beautiful things she'd ever imagined. The reality was sure to blow her away. "Oh my God…"

It didn't come out as annoyed as she meant it to though (rather more enraptured) and Addison's smile grew. "You totally want to have a baby!" she crowed eagerly, clapping her hands. "But Arizona, I swear to God, if I don't hear from you until your kid's third birthday - I _will_ hurt you!"

Footsteps padded down the stairs and Arizona sent her a sharp look, the redhead miming locking her lips up tight, though she couldn't wipe the smile off her lips. Callie was tousling her dark hair as she rounded the banister, looking sleepy and utterly sexy. Arizona bit her lip, had to hold onto the counter to keep from going to meet her, sweeping her up, and dragging her back to bed.

Addison knowingly cleared her throat and the blonde snapped out of it, Callie smiling shyly as she entered the kitchen. "Good morning," she said, hoarse voice not detracting from her effect on Arizona, taking the seat at the end of the table while Arizona filled up a coffee mug for her and mixed it. "Thank you," she hummed appreciatively, catching the strap of Arizona's tank top to kiss her cheek. She pushed her back when the blonde shifted to kiss her lips. "I'm still sick, sweetheart."

"So what?" Arizona countered, almost pouting. Her wife was walking around like sleepy sex on legs and she didn't even get a kiss because of some stupid virus? Hell no! "Just a quick one?"

Smirking, Addison slurped noisily on her coffee, drawing looks from both of the other two women. "I think you should kiss her," she threw in her two cents worth.

Arizona quickly nodded, pleading blue eyes adding to the enticement. "Fine, but no tongues," Callie bargained, eyebrow arching.

"No fair! It's not like I've been smoking!" the blonde argued.

It was the wrong argument to make and Callie's brown eyes narrowed. "If you _had_ been smoking you'd be cut off from more than just kissing, Arizona Robbins!"

Arizona cut her off by kissing her, sucking on her bottom lip but obediently keeping her tongue out of her wife's mouth. "No cigarettes," she promised in a whisper. "You can frisk me if you want, though."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Callie breathed back, lips dragging against Arizona's as she spoke.

"Yes!" agreed Arizona earnestly, letting herself be dragged down into the chair across from Addison. "I'd be sure you have fun too, babe! You know I'm good for it!"

The Latina smirked, eyebrow arching at her partner. Arizona seemed much better this morning than she'd been expecting. Addison's presence might have something to do with that, but she wasn't seeing Arizona's guarded expression in her face like she had anticipated. It was possible she'd cried it out last night and was genuinely feeling better. Wallace had been sick for a long time and his death wasn't exactly a surprise, as horrible as the thought was. "Are you trying to tell me you've got cigarettes hidden somewhere?"

Thinking twice about her teasing, Arizona blinked and shook her head. "Oh, um, no. Nope, no cigarettes. I swear!"

"You started smoking again?" Addison asked, sounding annoyed herself. "Why in the hell…?"

"It was _one_ time!" Callie cleared her throat pointedly. "It was one _period_ of time," the blonde clarified. "One _brief_ period of time."

"And I understand that you were upset, but if you ever touch another one…" Meeting blue eyes, she asked a silent question - Is this another time you need a cigarette?

"I know!" Arizona cut in. "Believe me, I have no desire to sleep on the couch, Calliope." Her silent answer was a negative. Callie really did make every single thing in her life better, just by being there. And maybe she'd needed cigarettes to cope before, but now she had Callie.

"And it's a bad habit for the kids to pick up on," Addison chimed in without thinking, Arizona's head rolling sideways to glare at her friend. "Um…"

Callie laughed as Arizona let her head thump against the table, muttering under her breath and bouncing her skull against the tabletop. "It's fine. The hypothetical kids aren't smoking either." Fingers in blonde hair stopped the repeated head thumping. "Please stop that, Arizona. Hearing the word 'kids' is not going to make me go baby crazy. Don't worry."

Realizing that this wasn't a conversation they should be having in front of Addison, Arizona picked her head up to meet Callie's smile, fingers bunching and releasing in the back of her hair. "This conversation is in a different place than it started," she joked lightly, relieved by Callie's easy smile.

"Not really," Addison scoffed into her coffee.

Callie caught Arizona's head before she could bang it on the table again. "Arizona, it's _okay_."

Blue eyes glared at the blushing neonatal surgeon. "And I was sad you were leaving. Not so much when you keep opening your mouth and trying to ruin my life!"

"Nothing's ruined, Arizona," Callie said patiently, rolling her eyes. "I'm not ready to have a baby. And I know you're not. I know you might not ever be ready. And I said that I'm fine with that and I meant it." Their eyes met and Arizona could see the truth in brown depths. Callie had said she would wait for her and she meant it. And if she never got past this, if she couldn't ever give Callie a baby, Callie still wasn't going anywhere. Her heart felt too full suddenly. Callie's head inclined slowly, giving her a gradual nod before her gaze jumped to their guest. "Addison, I'm sorry I haven't gotten to spend much time with you this visit."

"You didn't know you were going to get sick, much less that I was coming," Addison said, smiling cheerfully. "Congratulations on the wedding, by the way."

Callie matched her smile, the pair toasting with their coffee mugs. "Thank you."

"And, hey, I owe you guys, so anytime you guys want to come down to L.A. for a vacation, you're welcome to stay with me," offered the redhead.

"Ooh, we want to do that!" Arizona said quickly, letting her fingers twine through Callie's on the table. "I guarantee Addie's got a _nice_ place. You should have seen our place in college! It was amazing!"

Coughing lightly, Callie nodded. "That would be great. Thank you for the offer, Addie," she said genuinely.

Arizona swallowed abruptly, unconsciously gathering her nerve. "And Addison works at a fertility clinic, so maybe she can help us have a baby someday." She wasn't ready yet. _They _weren't ready yet. But it didn't mean she wasn't trying. The matching looks of slack-jawed surprise made it completely worth the sudden fast pace of her heart.


	48. Chapter 40

"Dr. Robbins, there you are!" The sound of the Chief's voice drew Arizona to a sharp stop on her wheels, the Peds surgeon wincing as she waited for a rebuke from her boss for her shoes. "I'd like to see you in my office if you have a few minutes."

Confused, she nodded. There was a stack of charts in her hands but she had no surgeries for a few hours. "I can be up in just a couple of minutes, sir," she hesitantly agreed.

"Very good, Dr. Robbins."

She was frowning as she put the charts back in their rack behind the desk, Alex giving her a confused look of his own as he scanned the row for a chart. "What's up with you?"

"The Chief just called me to his office." What the hell could she have done? All of their surgeries had been textbook lately. And she and Callie hadn't even gotten close to getting busted fooling around. Unless there were some kind of security cameras they didn't know about…

"What'd you do, boss?" he asked with a laugh. "Did we do something we weren't supposed to that I didn't know about?"

Arizona shrugged, shaking her head as she racked her brain. "I have no idea, but I'm totally willing to throw you under the bus if you did something wrong, Karev." They grinned at each other. It was a lie. They'd had each others' backs for years and that wasn't going to change.

"You still scrubbing in on the lung resection?" he checked, finding the chart he needed.

"You got it. Just page Dr. Altman and I'll observe if you need me." Alex held up a fist for a fist bump, Arizona supplying it with a weak smile, her dimples shallow. It was a reassuring gesture and she swallowed hard.

The elevator was crowded as she went to board, a hand catching her elbow and her nervous gaze found Callie's eyes. "Hey, you. I was looking for you!" Callie was clearly pleased to see her, immediately finding her hand and grinning.

"Here I am," Arizona said, biting her lip as she forced a smile.

A frown appeared as Callie registered her wife's anxiety. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Webber wants to see me in his office about something."

"You don't know what about?" Arizona just shook her head, Callie's hands on her shoulders keeping her from pacing. "Well, don't worry. You're an amazing doctor, Peds has never run more smoothly, the parents love you. Everyone loves you, Arizona…"

Blue eyes rolled even as she smiled weakly. Callie made her feel better. About everything. A smile from her was all it took. "You're my wife, you have to say that."

"No, I don't," Callie objected with a grin, ducking her head to meet Arizona's eyes again. "It would make me kind of sucky, but I don't _have_ to say anything. I'm not going to lie to stroke your ego," she teased lightly, pleased when it succeeded in getting a real smile. "Will you let me know what's up later?"

Arizona nodded and Callie gently pushed hair behind her ear. "Yeah, of course. I've got a surgery with Karev, but I shouldn't have to scrub, so I'll call you."

Exchanging nods, Arizona caught the elevator door and got on with a few nurses. The ride to the main floor didn't take long but the quiet was making her nerves rise again. She tried to recapture the feeling of Callie's reassurance, but knocking on the door drove that comfort away. Damn authority issues.

"Come in," Webber called through the door.

Arizona entered, drawing back in surprise when the office wasn't empty, a woman in a suit sitting on the Chief's leather couch. "Oh, I'm sorry. You're in a meeting…"

"Dr. Robbins, come in," he insisted lightly, already smiling at her. If she was focused enough to notice his expression, she'd have been freaked right to hell. "Arizona Robbins, this is Dr. Jennifer Madison. Dr. Madison is a representative from the Carter Madison award committee."

Beginning to understand, Arizona's mouth fell open but she swallowed, offering a hand. "Dr. Madison, nice to meet you." The other woman was taller than she was, taller than Callie even, with dark red hair that flowed in waves down her shoulders to reach mid-back, and legs that appeared to go for miles below the hem of her pinstriped pencil skirt.

"_Very _nice to meet you, Dr. Robbins. And I'm sure you have at least a suspicion as to why I'm here, so I won't waste your time. Your proposal about surgical care in second and third-world countries, the committee would like to fund it."

"Fund it?" Arizona asked curiously, not sure she was understanding.

"We'd like to fund a surgical clinic in Africa. We'd pay for you to go to Malawi and save children who wouldn't otherwise ever see a Pediatric surgeon. You could change a lot of lives, Dr. Robbins."

There was a pause, Arizona glancing between the two other people in the room, catching sight of the Chief's conflicted expression. On the one hand, a Carter Madison grant winner on staff would be prestige out the ass for the hospital. On the other hand, if she was in Africa his hospital had no Head of Peds and lost an attending surgeon in one.

And that was saying nothing of Calliope…

She'd been in a completely different place in her life when she'd applied for the Carter Madison - a resident, single, happy to go drink after work with Alex and compete to pick up girls at the bar. Now she was an attending, a department head, with an amazing student and an even more incredible wife.

Seeing her hesitation, Dr. Madison spoke up quickly, eager to get an agreement from her. "Dr. Webber informed me that there might be some family reasons that you might be… hesitant to commit, but if you're willing to give some surgeons in Africa some basic training on cases they might see more often there than we do here, your part of the set up could only take months."

Months was better than years, but still… She wasn't just speaking for herself anymore. She had a partner she answered to. Swallowing, she nodded slowly. "I appreciate the consideration, but I really can't agree to anything until I talk to my wife," Arizona explained. She wanted to help African kids, really, she did, but she knew agreeing to do this without talking to Callie first would end _far _worse for her than simply sleeping on the couch.

"I understand, Dr. Robbins," Jennifer said, smiling politely. "Of course you should discuss it with your wife. We do need an answer sooner rather than later, but absolutely take a few days to talk it over. And congratulations!" They exchanged another earnest handshake and Arizona nodded toward Dr. Webber as she left his office. She knew he would feel free to call her back in later to share his opinion about what she should do.

Retreating, Arizona paced the OR hallway but didn't check on Alex's surgery. If he needed her, he'd call. And not seeing her pacing in the gallery couldn't hurt his confidence.

Africa. And the Carter Madison. It was a big deal. _Huge_ deal. She could save _so_ many lives.

But _months _away from Calliope? It made something in her chest ache. Months without seeing her smile or looking into her eyes? Months without touching her skin? Months of surviving on only phone calls to hear her voice?

But she could save children's lives. Children who might never even see a doctor, much less a surgeon. And a few months _was _considerable, but it wasn't years. And even with her hesitations about leaving Callie, she knew that she wanted to do it. But she couldn't do it without Callie's blessing.

Her fingers were already on the touch screen of her phone, the ringing making her nervous until it was cut off by Callie's warm voice. "You've reached Dr. Callie Torres. I can't answer the phone, but if you leave a name and number, I'll call you back."

Hanging up without leaving a message, Arizona glanced up at the surgical board. Of course Callie had gotten called in on a surgery. Damn it. There was nothing for it, though. She'd just have to stew until she could talk to her partner.

Too distracted to cut, Arizona kept to her office for the rest of the day, leaving as soon as her shift ended. She'd been thinking about her options all afternoon and trying to gauge the potential reactions from her wife. Callie was on her as soon as she came through the door, though arms wrapped tight around her and spinning was _not _one of the reactions she'd anticipated.

"How could you not tell me?" the Latina questioned, though her tone lacked the annoyance Arizona was expecting. "The whole hospital was talking about it!"

"About what?" Arizona asked nervously. Shit, shit, shit. How the hell had Richard let this slip to the whole hospital?

Callie put her back on her feet to lean back and stare incredulously at her. "About you winning the Carter Madison! Everyone knows!"

"Oh that," the blonde sighed, secretly relieved. "Yeah!" She mustered some enthusiasm, forcing a smile.

"That's all you've got for me?" Callie countered. "This is amazing! Nobody wins the Carter Madison, Arizona! Nobody normal - just geeks!"

"Gee, _thanks_," Arizona commented with a more natural smile, rolling her eyes. Callie was right. It was an amazing accomplishment, really. There were just… complications that her wife didn't know about yet. "Calliope, I need to talk to you about that, the Carter Madison. It's more than just the grant…"

Callie could see the seriousness in her expression and she nodded. "Okay," she agreed slowly. "What's up?"

Arizona broke free to pace, Callie backing up and taking a seat on the arm of the couch. "Okay, so, it's not just money. They're starting a surgical clinic for children that wouldn't ever see a surgeon and they want me involved, they want me to train other doctors."

"Well that sounds amazing, Arizona!" Callie said, not sure where the problem was. But there was clearly a problem coming.

Turning to face the fireplace, Arizona took a deep breath and held it, releasing it on a sigh. "The clinic's in Africa."

Callie felt her eyes go wide, suddenly wondering if she'd ever actually read Arizona's Carter Madison grant proposal before. Because she was _pretty_ sure she would remember Africa being a possibility.

"But it's just for a few months and then I'd be home and…"

"You want to do it," Callie breathed in realization, swallowing a lump in her throat. "You want to go to Africa." Arizona still wasn't looking at her and she sighed. "Turn around and look at me," she demanded shortly. If they were having this conversation, they were going to do it face to face.

Arizona turned as ordered, her shoulders rising up around her ears. "Calliope…"

"Did you already say you would go?" Callie interjected to ask, still short and sharp.

"No! Of course not!" Arizona shot back. "I wouldn't do that, Callie!"

"But you do want to leave me?"

"What the-? _**No!**_ Calliope-"

The Latina was already storming past her, shaking off her hand when Arizona tried to grab her arm, but the blonde couldn't help a stab of relief in the midst of the confused anxiety she was feeling that Callie didn't go for the front door but for the stairs. "Don't!" ordered Callie before Arizona could moved to follow her as she stomped upstairs.

Respecting her wish momentarily, Arizona paced at the bottom of the staircase. How the hell had this gotten so screwed up? And so freaking fast? It was a big thing she was asking for, she knew that. But _leaving_ Calliope? It was inconceivable. It wasn't leaving. It was just a shortish, long term trip. And then she'd be home and everything would go back to normal. But an entire African country and its children would have better healthcare. That wasn't a bad result for a three month trip.

She glanced up the stairs, not sure what would be better to see, Callie still in their room, or Callie coming back down to fight this out with her. God help the other woman if she saw a suitcase though. There would be no leaving her before she was supposedly leaving Callie (because that was _not _what was happening, damn it!) She was prepared to fight dirty to keep her wife in their house. Callie was stronger than her, she knew that, but she had determination and a complete lack of respect for rules of combat. She'd grown up with the name Arizona - she'd learned how to take someone down on the playground. And she was an adult now, a mature, responsible doctor, but some skills didn't get rusty.

Arizona wasn't sure how long it had been since Callie had left the room, but her body shot to its feet at the first creak of the stairs, tensed to fight, or possibly chase Callie down if the situation called for it. Brown eyes found her and an eyebrow arched curiously as Callie studied her for a moment. "You look like you're about to take off running," the brunette observed, her voice quiet.

"Are you going to make me chase after you?" countered Arizona, not relaxing her stance. "Because I will, Calliope. I'm not letting you go," she declared fiercely.

"I'm not letting you go either," Callie echoed, licking her lips.

Arizona's shoulders slumped at the statement. She hadn't really planned, didn't know what to expect from Callie about her desire to go to Africa, but a flat denial with no discussion hadn't been one of her more favorable outcomes. "Oh…"

"Not that," clarified Callie quickly. "In general, I mean. I'm not letting you go. I don't know about Africa yet, not saying yes, not saying no, but I'm not leaving you, you're not leaving me. No one's leaving." There was no discussion on that point. Not ever.

"No one's leaving," Arizona confirmed, moving forward slowly. "But can we talk? She sighed, closing her eyes and trying to be calm. Screaming at each other wouldn't help anything. "I want to _talk_ to you about it," she clarified, stressing the word 'talk' but softening her voice. "Yes, I would love to go help tiny humans in Africa, but I hate the thought of leaving you for that long." She studied her partner's face for a long moment, searching for any hint of something that would spell imminent badness for her. "And I would never do something like this without you being okay with it, Calliope."

Biting her lip and taking a deep breath as she edged toward her wife, Callie asked, "So you want me to be okay with you going to Africa?"

"Basically," answered Arizona hesitantly. "But just for a few months," she quickly added the reminder.

The brunette sighed, considering. "I'm gonna need… oh _so many_ details, Arizona. And I will _think_ about it," she said pointedly. Arizona in Africa… There were just so many things that could go wrong in the thousands of miles between Washington and Africa…

"That's all I ask," Arizona spoke up again rapidly, trying a hopeful smile. "Any chance you still want to celebrate with me? I mean, it is pretty awesome, right?"

Callie's smile slipped away immediately and she shook her head. "It is awesome," she said when Arizona's expression crumbled. "And I'm proud of you and I love you, but if we start _celebrating_, I'm not going to be able to think clearly."

Arizona bit her lip, scuffing one foot across the floor. "Can I…?" She looked shy, eyes on the floor and shooting glances at Callie. "Hug? Maybe?" she requested, in Callie's arms as soon as the Latina moved. Both released deep breaths, Arizona winding both arms around her partner's waist and resting her forehead against her shoulder. "I love you, Calliope. And if we talk this out and decide I shouldn't go, I'll call Dr. Madison and tell her I'm out."

"I'm not saying you can't go, Arizona," Callie sighed. "I just need to think about it." And she really didn't want to be the bad guy if they couldn't work this out. Her wife living in Africa for _months_ was a big deal, though. She deserved some time to think it through, consider their options. And she wasn't going to apologize for loving her wife so much that the thought of being separated from her for _months_ made her breath come short, her chest feel tight. And she needed time to process that, figure out if she could live like that for ninety-something days. "When do you need to give the committee an answer?"

"In a few days, I guess," answered Arizona slowly.

Nodding, Callie stroked blonde hair gently. "Okay, well maybe we could meet with Dr. Madison and your crazy, neurotic wife can get some details about all of this."

"You're the crazy one today?"

Callie laughed suddenly. "I don't know. You're the one who wants to go to _Africa_." They smiled at each other, Arizona's expression nervous. "Honey, I understand you wanting to go. I really do. I just, give me some time, okay? I just, I need a little time."

Arizona nodded, licking her lips. "Calliope, of course. Yes. Whatever you need to maybe be okay with this, I'll get it." She took a step back, nodding again. "Okay, you think about it, and I'm going to go make dinner."

She was rushing into the kitchen before Callie could reassure her that she didn't need any gestures, her phone beeping an email in her pocket.

"Check that!" Arizona called from beyond the swinging door.

Callie couldn't help smiling as she checked her phone to see an email from Arizona (forwarded from the Carter Madison committee) with all the details of the trip attached. Moving into the kitchen, she took a seat at the table, reading the email on Arizona's open laptop. She couldn't say she was _excited _exactly, that her wife could be on another continent for three months, but looking at the tentative itinerary, it didn't look _too_ bad. There could definitely be worse scenarios.

They were quiet as Callie read and Arizona cooked, the Latina only looking up from the laptop when her wife put a plate beside her hand. "Thank you for cooking, sweetheart." She covered Arizona's hand with her own. "And in case I didn't say it earlier, congratulations on winning. You deserve it." Arizona's smile was dazzling and she couldn't help leaning up to meet her lips.

"It's pretty awesome, right?" Arizona was happy, giddy almost, and Callie could feel herself melt. She loved her more than anything. And helping children in Africa was something Arizona would be amazing at.

Callie sighed again, smiling back at her. She was completely unable to resist this woman. "It is absolutely awesome," she agreed, exhaling heavily. "Let's talk after dinner. I want to eat this while it's still warm. My _awesome_ wife made it." Arizona's dimples popped and Callie's eyes traced her features. "You're such an amazing woman, Arizona. You know that?" Blue eyes blinked at her, surprised by the conversational turn. "You're incredible. And I'm so incredibly lucky to be with you."

"Hey…" Arizona started to interject, brows furrowing.

"No, let me finish," Callie cut in, shaking her head. "You're sweet and generous and caring and the way you love me - Arizona, no one in my life has ever loved me the way you do every day." Arizona's smile was shy, teeth worrying her bottom lip. "And you make it look so easy," Callie mused, one hand curling across the blonde's jaw, fingers lightly touching her skin. "How do you do that?"

"Are you saying it's hard to love me?" teased Arizona lightly, an edge underlying her voice.

Callie's expression froze, even the hint of a smile dropping off her face. "You don't _ever_ ask me that again," she said clearly, deadly serious. "I love you no matter what, Arizona Robbins. Easy or hard, no matter what. And I love you for wanting to go to Africa and save children." And with a dream like that, could she really tell her love that she didn't want her to go? Not without feeling like a selfish asshole. But that wasn't a reason to say yes either, just to avoid feeling bad about herself. If she was going to let Arizona go, it had to be because she believed in what she wanted to do, believed in Arizona, and believed that she would come back to her.

And laying it out like that, there was only one answer she could give. Because she did trust Arizona. And she believed in the work she could do, the people she could help. She'd been to Africa herself in the Peace Corps. They needed someone like Arizona over there. And there were other Pediatric surgeons out there, but no one else like Dr. Arizona Robbins. Her wife was the best. And those children deserved the best. If this was Arizona's dream she couldn't stand in the way.

"Arizona," Callie said, letting out a deep breath and smiling again. "Loving you is the simplest thing that I've ever done. You're easy to love. That's why so many people love you. Tim, your parents, and Alex, and Teddy, Addie," Arizona smiled sweetly, "Joe," Callie continued listing people, "the nurses at work, your patients, random people on the street…"

They both laughed and Callie leaned forward for another soft kiss. "I love you most, though. More than any of them," she declared before leaning back in her seat. "After dinner, we'll talk."

There was no talking during dinner, just the normal ambient noises of forks and knives on plates and cups on the wooden tabletop. Only when Arizona had the dishes in the dishwasher did she speak, and that only to ask, "Living room?"

Callie stood up from her seat with a nod, catching the blonde's wrist as her wife started to pass her into the other room. She was married to an amazing, incredible, _awesome_ woman. A woman who spent her life fighting to save the lives of children and she wasn't satisfied with that. She wanted to do more. Callie wasn't sure how, she was sure she couldn't love Arizona Robbins more than she already did, but she could feel it happen, heart swelling with love for this woman.

One hand cupped her cheek as Arizona immediately let herself be drawn in. The kiss was hard and passionate, both of Arizona's hands sliding across the sides of her neck, fingers in the back of her hair.

"Love you," Arizona gasped into the next kiss, feeling hands slip down her sides to grip her butt, Callie walking them blindly backwards in the general direction of the couch. "You're really not mad?" she asked again, leaning back to check. "That I want to go to Africa?"

Callie's eyes narrowed in consideration, looking straight at her. "Do you want to go to Africa for any other reason than to save children?"

Blue eyes blinked and Arizona shook her head. "No, of course not. What other reason…?" Realization struck and a hand struck the outside of Callie's thigh in a sharp swat at the same time. "Calliope Torres, _if_ I go, you cannot think for one _single_ second that I wouldn't miss you with all of my heart. The last thing I ever want to do is leave you, baby." She sighed, leaning her forehead against Callie's. "But it's - this is a dream I've had… for a long time."

"I understand," Callie said gently, leaning in for another kiss. "We will talk about it later. Kiss me again," she requested.

That was never something Arizona was going to deny and she pushed forward, breaking away to giggle when Callie fell backwards onto the couch and dragged Arizona with her. They took a moment to adjust to the new position and then Arizona's lips were back on hers.

Of course, it only took a few minutes before the front door opened, Alex groaning. "Come on! I thought we talked about this, Robbins! We each have our own rooms for a reason!" he protested. "That was what we said!" He swatted the blonde's shoe, spinning the wheel. "The couch is not for making out! That was the rule!"

"Karev, Arizona just won the Carter Madison," Callie said before hauling her wife back to her lips. Her ambivalent feelings about that stung and she needed to keep kissing Arizona. That was simple, at least.

"Well, I resected a lung by myself today, so remember this next time I've got a girl over here," he bargained, grinning when Arizona sat up with a grumble of protest. "I heard you're a big shot award winner now, boss. Congratulations."

"And you won't let me make out with my wife to reward myself? I don't think you're really happy for me," Arizona grumped, bumping her fist against his and leaning back against Callie's side as the Latina sat up beside her.

Callie wrapped an arm over her shoulder and turned her head to kiss the side of her face. "And she's going to Africa," she added, surprising all three of them with the declaration. If Arizona felt that she needed to do this, she wasn't going to stand in the way. She was just going to miss the hell out of her wife. The blonde stiffened in her arms, turning to look up at her. "If it's something you need to do, I'm behind you," she promised in a whisper. Wide blue eyes blinked at her in disbelief. "If you don't come home to me I _will_ come after you," she added, eyebrow arching at her seriously.

Arizona swallowed hard, touched. Calliope Torres was amazing. Everything about her. "Karev, you need to go upstairs," she ordered hoarsely.

"Why can't _you_ go upstairs?" he complained immediately, rooting through his bag for his ringing phone.

"I said go upstairs, Alex. Or leave, whatever," she repeated herself, sitting up out of Callie's arms and turning around to straddle her on the couch. "Now. I need to talk to her."

Grumbling, he took his bag and stomped upstairs. Callie leaned her head back against the back of the couch to meet her eyes. "Arizona…"

"Are you kidding? I mean, seriously? I can go?" Arizona asked breathlessly. "And you won't divorce me while I'm gone or anything?"

Brown eyes rolled. "Of course I'm not divorcing you," Callie sighed. "In fact, I don't want you to ever say that word again. I don't like you saying that word." Arizona nodded in a heartbeat, both hands resting on Callie's shoulders. "Arizona, you can save a lot of lives going to Africa. And it's a dream of yours. So I absolutely want you to go if that's what you want to do."

"You understand that I love you more than life itself and I will tell you that every single day for the rest of our lives," Arizona started, stopping when Callie put a finger over her mouth, a smile on the Latina's lips.

"Arizona, it's _okay_," she said. "I love you. I love everything about you. And that includes loving you for going to Africa to save children." Arizona's eyes searched her face for any glimmer of doubt or hesitation. "That doesn't mean that we're not going to get the details on _everything_ though. I want to know where you are every single day you're gone, and we need a way to keep in touch, and you need to be safe…"

"Calliope, you know I would never do anything that might take me away from you," Arizona said earnestly. "And if you don't want me to go, I won't go."

Callie smiled, breathing deeply as she shook her head. She didn't want to be separated from her partner, but her partner wanted to go to Africa and save the lives of children. And Arizona would save a lot of lives. She couldn't stop her from doing what she loved to save children. "You should go," Callie said. "Go to Africa and do what you do best, babe."

Arizona cocked her head, still hesitant. "Seriously?"

Laughing, Callie nodded, reaching up with one hand to hook the back of Arizona's neck and draw her down into a kiss. "Seriously," she murmured. "You're amazing and you deserve that grant and you're going to help _so many_ people in Africa, Arizona. It's going to be awesome." She leaned up for another kiss, fingers stroking through blonde hair. "I'm going to miss you like crazy, though," she confessed softly. "And I wasn't kidding about knowing every single detail about everything."

"Calliope, whatever you need to be comfortable with this, I'll do it or make sure you have it," Arizona insisted immediately. Both hands rubbed gently at the tops of Callie's shoulders as she shuffled forward on her knees, relieved to feel her wife's strong hands rub lightly over her legs. "I love you, you know?"

"I do know that," Callie said, amused. "And I love you and I trust you and I want you to do awesome things for Africa."

Touched, Arizona leaned in to press her forehead against Callie's. This woman was absolutely unbelievable. Calliope Torres was amazing. And she was her wife. It was too good to be true, almost. "Seriously, I'm completely in love with you, Calliope."

"So I don't have to worry about you and all those topless chicks in Africa?" Callie teased, smirking. "I've seen those National Geographic specials, babe."

Arizona jerked back to gape at her, a gorgeous smile on Callie's lips to greet her own stupefied expression. "I would _never_…"

"Honey, stop. I know you wouldn't. I was just messing with you," Callie cut in, hands sliding around Arizona's backside. "You better miss me too."

"Oh my God, Calliope! I'm not even going to be able to stop thinking about you for a second!"

Callie took a choked breath, nodding. She wanted Arizona to do her dream, she really did, but she needed reassurance that this was something they could do. She could send her other half to the other side of the world and it would be okay. "Are we going to be able to talk while you're gone? Or-or could we write, or…?"

Arizona could almost feel her heart break in sympathy, feel the agony of being separated from Callie even while she was sitting on her. "I don't care what it takes. I will find a way to talk to you. I can't go three months without hearing your voice." Without thinking twice, she leaned in for a kiss, sucking on her lover's bottom lip.

Callie moaned, grip tightening on her wife's ass as she stretched up into the kiss. She didn't want to ever stop doing _this_. Not until Arizona had to leave her and get on a plane. Dragging her lip from between Arizona's teeth, she tilted her head to adjust the angle and went back in, one hand remaining on her butt as the other wound into her hair and hung on tight while tongues dueled slowly. Both of them were content to drag this out, wanting to make everything last longer.

* * *

><p>Now before anyone hurts me (you have to catch me first, sucka!), I do have a plan and this does have a purpose. I don't believe in angsty drama shit for angsty drama's sake...<p>

Also, new longest chapter - BOOM!


	49. Chapter 41

Cursing under her breath as she scrubbed out of surgery, Callie was glad to see Arizona enter the scrub room, glad that being called into emergency surgery wasn't going to keep her from seeing her wife tonight. Ever since Arizona had finalized her travel plans to Africa (leaving in a week), they'd been spending every waking minute they could together. Tonight they were supposed to have been out of the hospital three hours ago, but she'd been called in on a trauma case instead.

"You waited on me?" she asked, surprised but grateful.

The blonde just smiled, shrugging. "Tim's working tonight and Teddy's worked thirty hours so she's sleeping. It would have just been primetime TV at home by myself." Her smile went forced. "And this way I got the rest of my paperwork finished and called Addie about covering for me with Karev." Her leaving was still something she mentally debated fifty times a day. She wanted to do it, wanted to go to Africa and save the lives of children, but the thought of leaving Callie felt like her lungs were just gone, making it hard to breathe.

Eyeing her, Callie sighed. "Did we have something different planned than TV at home by ourselves?" she asked, finishing her scrubbing and drying her hands. "Because I kind of wanted to watch that one show…"

"It's recording for you," Arizona said, smirking as she slid her fingers through Callie's and led them out of the scrub room. "I know you need to watch your show, babe."

"Not more than I need to do whatever you want to do tonight," Callie objected. She would do pretty much anything as long as she was spending the time with Arizona.

The blonde just gave her a dimpled smile, bumping her elbow as they walked. "We can watch your show, I just might be trying to take your clothes off at the same time. Fair warning." Their eyes met and Arizona winked playfully. "I fully intend to try and distract you from whoever that guy is, David whatever, the one you think is hot…"

"He is hot, babe, but he's got nothing on you!" promised Callie with a laugh. "And I don't think you'll have to try too hard to get my attention." If anything, the knowledge that in just over a week she'd be without her wife for three months made focusing on anything else difficult when she just wanted to drink up every second she could get with her partner.

Dinner was a pizza they'd picked up on the way home, the TV providing background noise while they stretched out on the couch together. Presumably they were watching, but Callie was fully engaged in tracing patterns across the top of the blonde's back where her wife was laying fully pressed against the length of her body. And she was perfectly content to simply lay there with Arizona's head on her shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" The blonde's whisper drew her eyes down, her arm drawing her imperceptibly closer.

"I'm thinking about this time next week when I'll be sitting here alone and you'll be in Africa saving lives," she answered, her own voice low.

Arizona went stiff beside her. "I don't want to leave you." Her voice was choked up now, an arm sliding across the Latina's waist to keep them in close contact.

"I know that," Callie soothed her, turned her head to kiss her wife's forehead. "But you do want to go. And you're going to do amazing things. They really need the help over there too." Arizona made an interested noise but didn't speak, burying her face in Callie's shoulder. "I told you I was in the Peace Corp after college. I spent most of my time in Botswana. I remember what it was like over there. And they need you."

"Is that why you said I could go?" the blonde asked curiously, speaking softly. She loved any kind of contact with her wife, loved snuggling into her and feeling the soft, comfy warmth that meant she was home and safe and loved. And in eight days she was going to have to sleep alone, without even the possibility of this. At least when she had to bunk down in an on-call room there was a chance Callie would come and find her, curl into the narrow bed with her.

Callie breathed deeply, drawing in the scent of Arizona's shampoo. "One of the reasons. Another is that I would never stand in the way of something you really feel strongly about, Arizona. You're my wife, my job is to support you. So when you win a kick ass grant to raise the standard of medical care for an entire country, there's not really anything for me to say no to, is there?" She shifted down slightly and turned her back on the TV so they were face to face. "I'm proud of you and I love you and I know that this is something you need to do. The only thing I ask is that you keep in touch as much as we can, I need to know you're safe, and you come home to me."

"That's two things," Arizona observed, dimples popping as she smiled. Wiggling forward, she let out a slow breath as their chests brushed, Callie letting her squirm a leg between her knees.

"Fine, I ask _two_ things of you," the brunette corrected herself as she lifted one hand to comb through blonde hair. "Be all kinds of careful, email me all the time and call when you can, and come home."

"That's three things. Four if you count email and calling separately," said Arizona with a soft laugh, jumping when the hand on her face jumped down to swat her ass in a split second. "Hey!"

Callie's answer to her protest was a kiss that started hard before becoming soft and slow, her tongue slipping out to tease her wife's lips. "I'll make you a list," she whispered, nipping her lower lip firmly. "And you will do all of them."

"Anything you want," Arizona promised, panting for the breath Callie had stolen straight from her lungs. "Calliope…"

"I know," she said, a bit breathless herself but still taking another kiss, fingers back in blonde hair. She made a mess of it tugging out the band holding it into a ponytail but she didn't care, gripping and releasing it in bunches. "I'm serious," she pulled back to say against her mouth, Arizona leaning forward this time to connect them again. "You, if anything happened to you…" Half of her was going to be in another freaking country and how the hell had this ever sounded like an okay idea, she demanded of herself, mind going into overdrive.

"Shh," the blonde hushed her gently. "It's okay. I'm right here," whispered Arizona soothingly. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Calliope. I'm going to be worried about you too, you know? You can't let the guys move out while I'm gone, okay? I need them to watch your ass for me."

It earned her a strangled laugh, Callie cocking an eyebrow at her. "You're going to invite the guys to watch my ass?" she questioned, amused in spite of herself. "Really?"

Blue eyes blinked and a pout appeared on perfect lips. "I would break them in half if they went near your anything, Calliope, but I do trust them to keep other people away from my wife, yes."

Alex chose that moment to jog inside, shaking rain off of his head and stomping his feet on the mat. Spotting the TV as he poked his head in, he spoke up, "Hey, did you already watch it?"

Laughing, Callie stole another kiss. "No, we haven't seen a thing," she said honestly. "Want me to start it over again? You get dried off and I'll rewind it…" Arizona let her turn over to see the television and snuggled an arm across her waist and slid her leg back between the Latina's knees. "Can you even see from back there?" Callie checked, leaning her head back to catch a glimpse of her.

"Yes," Arizona answered, wiggling up so she could actually see. "I like being the big spoon," she confessed in a whisper, nuzzling into the side of a tanned neck. Callie reached back silently to rub a hand over her hip and the side of her thigh. She liked being wrapped up in Arizona's arms, wanted to stay there as long as she could.

Alex, for once, made no comment about their position on the couch, just flopped down onto the loveseat in jeans and a t-shirt, pouring M&M's straight from the bag into his mouth. "Here," he tossed a bag of peanut ones across to Arizona (they were her favorites), "I had to stop at the gas station, got you some."

"Thanks, Karev," she said gratefully, tearing it open, dropping a few into her mouth and chewing happily. "Help yourself to pizza," she told him, waving the bag toward the flat box on the coffee table. She held a candy to Callie's mouth, smiling when warm lips dragged across her fingertips as she sucked the chocolate in. "Tease," she whispered into her ear as the TV show started again on the screen. Callie just pecked a kiss to her palm.

They left Alex dozing on the couch, his legs hanging over the end of the short loveseat and his head flopped back over the other end. Arizona restrained a giggle behind her hand, letting herself be towed along by the other hand. "At least he's not snoring," she commented.

Callie spun her when the reached the stairs, the Latina following her up with both hands on her wife's hips. "Alex can snore, it won't bother us," she declared, voice low and breathy. "He's staying down here and I'm taking you upstairs."

The need in her tone sent a quiver down Arizona's back and into her knees, making her stumble. "Shut up," she ordered before she could see Callie's smirk, able to feel it without turning her head.

"I like that I can still make you a little jumpy," Callie teased, goosing her butt for emphasis and making Arizona jump again.

"I have never been jumpy, Calliope," Arizona stubbornly declared.

Taking that as a challenge, Callie spun her into the wall, smirking smugly at the tremor that slid from head to toe down the blonde's body. "Oh, is that so?" challenged the brunette, hands sliding down her partner's sides. Catching the backs of her thighs, Callie lifted her ably, holding her steady while Arizona instinctively wrapped her legs around her. "I think I can make you jump."

"Just tell me how high," said Arizona with a laugh. She was all for teasing, really, and Callie could give as good as she got, but right now, only days away from her departure, she would do anything Callie asked of her. "We're almost to the bedroom…" she pointed out coaxingly, nodding her head toward their door.

Callie just shook her head, not moving them from the wall. "And what if I wanted you here, right now?" Arizona's answer came in the jerk of her hips against Callie's torso. "Good girl," the Latina approved, Arizona's hands on her shoulders as her own went to the blonde's waist to open her pants.

"Calliope…" Arizona's whisper was shushed by Callie only a heartbeat before her wife was pressing inside her, panties pushed to the side in her haste. "Calliope, please…"

The strong Ortho hand slowed, stilled, and blue eyes fought their way open to meet dark brown. "Please what? How can I make you happy, Arizona?"

The blonde whimpered and whined, rocking against the still fingers inside her. "Fuck me," she answered, the only answer she could give. They'd done their share of making love in the aftermath of their decision that she was going to Africa, but she wanted this too. She wanted memories of her wife driving her into the wall. Any memory she could make with Callie, she wanted it. And right now, she wanted it _bad_. Alex could wake up at any minute, could come up the stairs and see them, but she wouldn't stop this for anything.

Callie hissed when Arizona's nails dug into her shoulders but she just moved deeper, thrust harder. Arizona's kiss on her neck was surprisingly soft, the blonde burying her face there and panting for breath as she got higher and higher, closer to her peak. "I love you so much," she gasped into her ear, kissing again on her neck.

The next thrust landed and stayed, Callie's entire body pressing her into the wall. "Look at me," the brunette requested breathlessly, feeling Arizona tighten around her, legs squeezing her hips as her core held her fingers tightly. "Arizona, I need to…"

Words were cut off by a hard kiss, one of Arizona's hands on her jaw, sliding back into her hair and gripping as she pulled out of the kiss sloppily, locking blue eyes on brown before quite deliberately rocking herself back and up to plunge herself back down onto Callie's hand, her hips, a moment later.

Her release was explosive but Arizona forced herself not to close her eyes, wanting Callie to see everything she made her feel. The moment stretched until it had to break, her body unable to keep itself up any further. Callie would never let her fall though, and the Ortho surgeon held her tight as she slumped into her support.

"I've got you," Callie promised softly, stroking her hair. "I love you, Arizona. Thank you for letting me…"

"Fuck me in our hallway?" finished Arizona with a smug smile. "With our bed literally feet away? I think I'm the one who should be saying thank you, Calliope." One hand found Callie's as she slid down the wall to her feet. She wasn't sure when Callie had pulled out, but she found that she missed her already. How much worse would that longing be in a week? Two weeks? A month? Two months? Swallowing hard, she forced herself to hold onto the bliss Callie had given her. "Come on," she said, her voice hoarse suddenly. "We're going to bed. I could _say_ thanks, but I can do better than that."

The next seven days were a blur of Arizona's Type A organization making sure that nothing was left unfinished at work or unpacked at home, the blonde not resting at night until Callie dragged her to bed. And the night before her flight she didn't sleep at all, though not because she was still packing. All her bags were packed, waiting by the front door. Callie still dragged her to bed though, needing one more night of closeness that would have to tide them over until she returned.

And of course, the morning came too soon. Callie went quiet at the first light through their window, facing away from the brightening that was signaling her other half's imminent departure. Arizona kissed her shoulder before sliding out of bed to get dressed, having a schedule of when they needed to be leaving for her to make all of her flights for the day, but left her to gather herself in silence. And it was going to take every bit of her trained stoicism to get through this day without collapsing into a weeping mess.

But she really did want Arizona to get her dream, didn't want to make her feel badly about doing something so amazing, so she needed not to be sobbing out of control. At least, not until after Arizona's flight took off. And Tim was driving them to the airport, would be there to keep her from losing it.

The ride was quiet, both of the women curling into the backseat while Tim chauffeured them. The Marine took his sister's bag when they arrived, the couple holding hands while Arizona got her ticket and led them through the airport to the security checkpoint where they would have to say goodbye.

Knowing that saying goodbye to Callie wouldn't be something simple, Arizona gently disengaged their hands and turned to her brother. He hugged her tight, wrapping both arms around her shoulders. "You be careful, you got it?" he ordered gruffly, speaking straight into her ear.

"Got it. You take care of my girl for me, yeah?"

"Yeah," he promised. "She'll be good as new."

She smiled. "I mean, don't let her just sit around the house and mope, okay? Take her out, make her have some fun. But not too much fun," she added when he laughed.

"I understand. I'll take care of her," Tim said seriously. Reaching into the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a faded blue Patriots cap and offered it to her, watching her smile at the sight of it.

"You still have this?" She'd given him the cap before his first tour and he'd kept it through each subsequent one.

Tim grinned his matching grin at her and shook it out where the limp hat was wrinkled from his pocket. "Of course I still have it. It's good luck, isn't it?" He put it on her head and she pulled her ponytail through the opening at the back. "Lose it and I'll kick your butt, alright?"

Arizona's smile was genuine. She loved her brother more than almost anyone in the world. "Three months, right here, I'll be happy to give it back to you," she promised. "Thank you." She adjusted it on her head, grinning out from under the brim. He gave her a nod and a final hug before taking a step back, giving Callie space.

Their eyes met and the airport, all the other people, they all dropped away. It was just the two of them facing each other.

"Calliope…" No one said her name like that and Callie closed the space between them in a heartbeat, closing her arms behind Arizona's back and holding her tight against herself. "I love you."

"I love you," Callie echoed, her voice hoarse. "Tell me again that we can do this…"

"We can do this," confirmed Arizona immediately. "I love you more than anything and we _can _do this. Okay?" If Callie changed her mind right now, she would take her bag and get back in the car. She wanted to do this, wanted to make a difference for a country, but Callie was her priority, always.

A heaving sigh tickled her ear. "Okay… We can do this," Callie agreed softly. She held her tighter, kissing the skin above the blonde's t-shirt. "We'll do this and you'll come home."

"Three months. I'll be right here," she promised.

Nodding, Callie pulled her head back to meet her eyes. "I'll be waiting." She leaned in for a soft kiss, Arizona meeting her halfway. It was slow, almost chaste contact, Callie's fingers slipping across the back of her wife's neck and the wisps of hair free from her ponytail. Arizona smiled against her lips when she felt her hair get pulled lightly, the grip tugging her head back so Callie could kiss a line down her throat a second later.

"Calliope…" The Latina lifted her head to kiss her mouth again, sucking on her lip this time and making her moan. Her own fingers wound into loose black hair, holding her head in close. Only breathlessness broke the kiss, the two leaning into each other with their eyes closed. Arizona heard her phone chime and she sighed, squeezing back tears.

"You've got to go," guessed Callie softly, fighting her own emotion. "Okay. We can do this. I love you."

"Calliope Torres, I love you more than anything," Arizona echoed. "I'll call you when we land on the east coast, okay?"

Callie tugged firmly on her belt. "You better." She released her with a final quick kiss. "Have a safe flight." She was short, brusque because she had to be. If she said everything she wanted to say, she'd break down into tears. And that wouldn't help either one of them. So she put her doctor training to work and kept her face under control. "Call me the second you land," she emphasized, forcing herself to take a step backward into Tim's hand on her shoulder.

"I will," Arizona promised earnestly. "As soon as they tell me I can turn my phone on, I'm calling you. It'll be about six hours, so keep your phone on you." Brown eyes just rolled in her direction and Tim couldn't hide his smile. "I love you. Both of you."

Outside the airport, thunder made itself audible. Of course it would be raining today.


	50. Chapter 42

Waiting impatiently for the image to connect, Callie tapped her foot anxiously on the floor as she chewed her thumbnail and stared at the computer screen. "Come on, baby," she murmured to herself, realizing dimly that she was talking to herself but not caring. It had been a month since Arizona had left for Africa and this was their first opportunity to try and video chat. And if she didn't see her wife's face, she was going to cry. No matter how un-badass it was.

She heard her voice before she saw her, the screen still dark as Arizona muttered to herself. "Arizona? Babe, I want to see you!"

As Arizona leaned back, Callie realized that the darkness was because her wife was leaning over the computer to mess with the camera. "You're good, just sit down so I can look at you," Callie requested, not caring for a second how desperate she sounded.

Neither one spoke for a long minute, each drinking in the sight of the other after such an extended absence. Arizona's face was pink with sunburn, the tip of her nose peeling. Her hair had gone a shade lighter as well, speaking to her time in the sun. She was gorgeous. They managed to talk every few days, once a week at least, but the time difference and the fact that homosexuality was illegal there made it hard for them to say everything they wanted to say. This was the first time they'd attempted to actually see each other.

"Oh my God," Callie gasped, licking her lips unconsciously at the sight of her wife. "Arizona…"

Words had failed her but Arizona just nodded knowingly. "I know, Calliope." Glancing around to make sure she was alone, Arizona leaned into the camera to whisper, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my _entire_ life. And I love you more than anything."

"I can't believe we have two more months of this," Callie groaned.

"I know, but the time really is going quickly."

Callie just leaned her head into one hand with a sigh. "Maybe for _you_."

"Calliope…"

"No, I know." This wasn't the first time they'd exchanged this series of reassurances. It varied which one started it every time. "Tell me about the awesome medicine again," she requested.

And it really was incredible work. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't save a life. And teaching the surgeons of Malawi, she got to be sure that the standard of care would remain lifted after she was home. But now, looking at Callie's face outside of a picture for the first time in weeks, all she wanted was to be home.

Arizona didn't even realize she was crying until Callie hushed her gently. "I know, I just, God, I miss you, Calliope," she whimpered, reaching forward to touch her face on the screen and drawing back when she found no comfort in the cool, smooth laptop display. "I wish you could hold me."

"I know, sweetheart, me too," Callie whispered back. "You just have to focus on the medicine. We'll get through this and you'll be home with me."

Arizona hiccupped back another sob, endeavoring to wipe her eyes. "I'm just, I'm crying all the time and they're so nice here and they ask me what's wrong and I tell them that I miss _my wife_." Callie sucked in a surprised breath. Talk like that could get Arizona in trouble around the wrong person. "And they ask me every time if I want to go home and I have to say no, but every time I'm expecting to open my mouth and say yes." Her blue eyes squeezed closed, more tears leaking from the corners and sliding fast and hot down her cheeks. She hadn't been able to stop herself from crying, but this was something else entirely. This was grief for her separation. Part of her was just gone. Her other half on the other side of the world.

Callie ached to see her cry, unable to stop herself from reacting the same way. "Arizona…" One pale hand dragged over the computer screen as if to touch her face and Callie had to stifle a groan. She would do anything to be able to take her wife into her arms right now. "Arizona, _please_," she pleaded. "I love you." She needed to hear it back and Arizona obliged her, choking it out. "Please don't cry. I can't take it. Think about the kids, Arizona."

Struggling to regain the control she needed to keep breathing, Arizona leaned her head back on her neck and took deep, shuddering breaths. Once it was steady, in and out through the hole in her chest left by Callie's absence, she looked back at the screen. "Next time I have the idea to go to another continent, you tell me _no_," she requested hoarsely. "Because I hate this."

Callie smiled in spite of herself, chewing on her lip. "Okay," she promised softly. It was an easy promise to make. She hated this too.

"Tell me about home," Arizona requested. They talked on the satellite phone every few days, but she craved news. "Tim and Teddy?" Even as she asked, Callie looked sideways at the front door as it opened and she could hear her brother's voice.

Then his head was over the back of the couch beside Callie's and he was grinning at her. "Arizona, hey! How's it going?"

"Going good," she answered him hoarsely. "You alright?"

"Awesome," Tim said with a smirk, lightly teasing her. "We miss you. Callie doesn't cook the good stuff since you left." Arizona laughed and the Latina bit her lip again. "You staying safe?" he asked, tone going serious.

Arizona nodded, blonde hair falling in her face. "Of course," she promised. "You watching out for my wife?"

He shrugged with a grin and nudged Callie with an elbow. "There's some guy sniffing around, but I'm keeping an eye on it. He's only gotten to first base so far."

Arizona clenched her jaw and Callie pushed her brother-in-law's head sideways. "He's joking," she said shortly, rolling her eyes. She'd had a few guys approach her at Joe's, but she was always quick to shut them down. She wanted nothing from anyone but Arizona. And Tim, who'd promised to watch out for her while Arizona was gone, found reasons to come by the bar whenever Callie was there. Mostly she just stayed at home, though. Arizona was closer at the house than she was anywhere else.

"He better be," the blonde growled. She'd never been a jealous or possessive person before Callie, but Calliope was _hers_. The feeling was only amplified by the distance between them. She trusted her wife above anyone, though. And Callie would never hurt her like that. "But I can't blame them for looking," she acknowledged, smiling to get a smile in return. She lived for that smile, those lips, those eyes, that face, that hair, that woman.

"Look who's talking," said Callie with a chuckle. "Africa's never seen such a beautiful woman as you." Tim was audibly gagging somewhere behind Callie, out of view of the camera. Callie glanced over her shoulder with another laugh. "Maybe I should have sent Tim with you, make sure those doctors who don't know you're married keep their eyes in their heads."

"Do I need to go bust some heads?" Tim asked willingly, rounding the couch to flop down beside Callie and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"No, everyone's eyes are in their heads," Arizona said with an extended eye roll. "They all know I'm married. And the doctors kind of think I'm mean, actually. I'm staying in teacher mode as much as I can so I don't cry all the time." Callie grimaced and Tim guided her head to his shoulder, the Latina not resisting his comfort. It was clear how close they'd gotten, how comfortable they were with each other. If it were any two other people she'd be nervous. "Baby, it's okay. I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you. I just - I miss you. You know I miss you."

"I miss you too," Callie sighed.

Arizona glanced at the clock, she had to start rounds soon, she needed to go. "Tim, can you take her out? Get her out of the house."

"Can do," he confirmed with a nod, talking over Callie's objection. "Karev!" he called loudly. "We're taking Callie out!" He stood up, giving his sister a nod through the computer. "Love you."

"Love you too," she echoed, knowing that he was giving her some privacy with Callie and grateful for that. "And I love you," she said, eyes focusing on Callie. "I love you more than anything."

"I know that," Callie whispered. "I love you, Arizona."

She knew she needed to leave, needed to hide the evidence of her tears before she went to work, but she couldn't stand to say goodbye again. Instead, she lifted her left hand to kiss her rings, blinking back tears when Callie mirrored her movement. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah," echoed Callie hoarsely. Her fingers, her steady surgeon fingers, trembled as she closed the connection, shutting her laptop with a quiet click. Taking a moment, she leaned over her knees and drew in a shaky breath. The ache in her chest wouldn't go away, not until she had Arizona in her arms.

Tim's hand was steady on her back a few minutes later. "You alright?" he asked considerately. Callie sat up straight and blinked at him. "Come on," he coaxed, "let's get some drinks. I'm buying."

Callie's phone beeped as they stood up, an email from Arizona on her screen. She loved this woman more than _anything_. It was simple, another 'I love you' but it was perfect, exactly what she needed. She sent a reply, email their easiest way of communication but lacking the personal connection they got from calling.

"Let's get a drink," she said, taking his hand and squeezing hard.

Joe's was already crowded when they walked in, Alex pushing forward to the bar while Tim and Callie found a table. Familiar with everyone's favorites, Alex was quickly back with beers for himself and Tim and a scotch for Callie. "Joe says it's on the house," he said, his tablemates leaning forward to salute the bar with their drinks. Joe had a big old soft spot for Arizona so he would treat them to the first round every night they came in.

Sipping quietly, it didn't take long before Alex was flirting nonverbally across the bar with some nurse. Callie just rolled her eyes and nodded him out of the booth. "Just go," she said, smiling shallowly. It was the most she could muster tonight. "You've covered your bases, I'm out of the house. Go get yours."

He grinned, draining half of his beer. "You rock, Torres! Later!"

Tim kept an arm across the back of the booth behind her, catching Teddy's eye and nodding. "You go on too," Callie directed him with a laugh. He looked hesitant and she shoved his shoulder, pushing him toward the edge of the booth. "I'll be fine, Tim. You don't have to babysit me. Go dance with her. _Somebody_ should be getting some," she reasoned, smirking.

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"Get out of here," she ordered, shaking her head at him and laughing.

It didn't take ten seconds after he was out of the booth for Mark Sloan to slip into the vacated seat. "Torres, it's funny to see you here alone." Over the Plastic surgeon's shoulder Callie could see Tim's protective glance and she waved him off. Sloan was a bit of a slut, but he was harmless if you had _any_ self-control.

"Well, not exactly alone," she said. "My brother-in-law is right over there." And Alex was around, even if he was a bit distracted with his newest target. She took another sip of her scotch. "Was there something you wanted, Dr. Sloan?"

He was instantly smirking. "If you're offering…"

Brown eyes rolled and she scoffed. "I'm married. You know that I'm married. Not that that stops you, from what I hear." He was notorious around the hospital for sleeping with any woman who moved - doctor, nurse, patient, etc. "You've slept with my sister, in case you forgot."

"You don't want to help me get the set?"

"You're gross," she informed him flatly. "And this was a bad idea." She drained her drink and shooed him toward the edge of the seat. "I'm going home."

He didn't move and Tim looked toward her again, Callie again waving him off. "Come on, I was kidding," Mark tried. "You look lonely, Torres. Dance with me."

"I don't want to dance with you, Mark," she said wearily. She wanted to drink about four more scotches and go home and wallow in misery, but that was too pathetic to actually say out loud. "Let me out, please."

"One dance," he coaxed. "I won't do anything unwelcome. It's just fun, Torres." She hesitated and he nudged her, leaning over to smile. "Just because Robbins isn't here doesn't mean you can't have fun."

Sighing, Callie shook her head slowly. "Mark…"

"You look like you could use a friend, Torres. That's all," he said. "And your brother-in-law is built like a truck and watching you like a hawk. You think I'd invite getting my face busted by that guy?"

Callie sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. _One_ dance."

It took her a second to loosen up, not used to dancing with someone who wasn't Arizona, much less a man. It had been a long time. His hands on her hips made her stiffen and he spun her instead. He was a good dancer, but she missed being able to press her wife's form against her, missed dancing close and stealing kisses. She missed a lot of things. But this _was _fun. And much less pathetic than lonely moping at home.

Mark kept polite space after the first initial contact, Callie catching Tim's eyes on them every few turns. He really was an amazing brother. Arizona would be happy to know that he was taking his in-law status so seriously. Callie bowed out when the next song ended, grateful for the distraction but knowing exactly how people talked around Seattle Grace. Spending the night dancing and drinking with Mark Sloan wouldn't do her any favors.

Tim was there as soon as Mark walked away with a wave, the elder Robbins putting a hand through his hair. "You okay?"

"Yes, Tim," she said dryly, amused. "Did you have fun with Teddy?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

"It was alright," she told him, taking his other hand and steering them to sway. He took the lead, smiling. "Better now."

Tim laughed and dipped her. "Yeah?"

"Nobody beats the Robbins," Callie said with a grin and kiss to the cheek.

"Awesome," replied Tim, bobbing his eyebrows comically at her. Callie's smile was tinged with sadness suddenly, her arms looping around his neck. "Hey, I know it's not the same, but I miss her too. And Teddy and Alex. We all miss her too, Cal."

"I know you do," she whispered. His arm gently guided her head to his chest. "Thank you, Tim."

* * *

><p>Okay, so we had a little time jump and got a look at how Callie's doing - next time we'll see how Arizona's faring in Africa...<p> 


	51. Interlude:Bless the Rains Down in Africa

The touch of a hand on the top of her shoulder brought Arizona fully awake, the surgeon running a hand over her face as she lifted her head from the side of her patient's bed. A chipped ceramic mug of strong tea greeted her eyes and she took it gratefully. "Hey," she said, grimacing at the hoarseness of her voice, the dry scratch in her throat.

"Did you stay here all day again, Dr. Robbins?" asked the younger doctor who'd woken her up. "When do you sleep?" he questioned, chuckling as she stood up and stretched.

"I don't think I do anymore," she answered, suppressing a grimace at the taste of the tea. She'd give anything for strong black coffee right now, just a hint of cream and sugar, the way she liked it. "Too busy trying to get you guys whipped into shape," teased the senior surgeon, taking the chart he offered her.

He just shook his head, scratching idly at the still growing in beard he'd begun sporting since their arrival. "How'd he sleep?"

"Good." Arizona was distracted, reading and draining the last of her tea in one long swallow. Dragging it out was never good. "Breath sounds stayed clear and equal for the last four hours. No complications." The younger man at her side straightened up but she didn't say more, still reading. He'd done good work, but she wasn't here to feed his ego. She was here to teach and he was here to learn. And then she was going home to her wife and their life in Washington. She had all the personal relationships she could ever need at home. This was professional Dr. Robbins in the extreme. She'd decided that she was practically channeling Bailey, here! And this guy was good, she couldn't deny that, but he was no Alex Karev.

When he didn't get the pat on the head he was looking for, Dr. Cliff (his first name, but how he chose to be addressed) cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Dr. Robbins, I think the patient with Hirschsprung's that you were going to show us the Modified Dumahel procedure for is coming in today."

She sighed, nodding. "Thank you. Have Dr. Perreault do the preliminary work up when he gets here," she ordered. "And you can sit with Abi here until his parents get here." He couldn't suppress his expression fast enough and she stepped closer to him. "Dr. Cliff, I think you have some work to do on controlling your face," Arizona informed him coolly, crossing her arms. "Do you have something you feel is more important that you'd rather be doing?"

"No, ma'am, it's just…" he grimaced again. "Couldn't I round with you or something? He's just going to be sleeping…" His eyes moved to the unconscious eight year old and then back to her.

"You might think it's boring," Arizona cut him off, "but this is patient care. This kid is sick, and his parents are busy. He's here all alone and he just wants to go outside and play. He's just as tired of being in this place as you are about being stuck in here with him. Sit with him when he wakes up," she stated her direction again. "Play cards with him. Make him laugh. We don't have to like it, but we're all in here together." One brow arched at him. "You got it?" He nodded, suddenly meek, and she let out a deep breath, realizing that she was being a little harsh, letting her own feelings color her words. She was here, doing work she was born to do, but she was leaving. Dr. Cliff and his fellow surgeons were staying here for years. "Sorry," she apologized. "It's been a long day…" Long day, long week, long month and a half… But it was the halfway point. It was all downhill from here - the countdown until she was back home with Calliope.

Cliff just nodded, dirty blond hair flopping in his face. "Don't bite my head off, but maybe you should take a break until the HD patient is ready for surgery," he suggested, smiling crookedly down at her. "I've got this. Go take a nap or a shower or something. Call your girl if it means you'll stop snapping."

Slapping the chart to his chest, Arizona rolled her eyes. The kid was a smartass. That _did_ remind her of Alex. "I'll just be across the street, Dr. Cliff," she reminded him, leaving the room and departing the clinic entirely.

The first blast of air outside was hot and it took her a second to adjust, same as it had every day since her arrival. The dry heat of Africa felt like a completely different planet from cool, rainy Seattle. Crossing the street to her apartment, the stairwell up to the second floor was somehow hotter, the air inside the narrow hall stifling. Her room was better only because of the open window and the slow, squeaky fan turning overhead and she flopped down onto her face on the narrow bed.

The shrill ring of the satellite phone on the bedside table kept her from tumbling over the edge into sleep but she only grunted and rolled onto her back as she answered it, "Perfect timing."

"Oh yeah?" Callie answered, her tone amused. "You sound tired, sweetie."

"Don't you dare hang up that phone, Calliope," Arizona ordered, crossing her arms over her eyes and propping the phone on the pillow next to her head. "I'll just call you back and blow up the phone."

"You need to sleep," countered Callie.

Arizona sighed. That was true. For all that she'd just woken up from one, she could seriously use a nap. The chairs in the clinic sucked for sleeping. Of course, this bed wasn't ideal either. It was missing a good two feet of width and also a hot Latina surgeon that she was crazy in love with. "Shouldn't you still be asleep?" she asked instead. It was early afternoon in Malawi, which meant it was early morning in Seattle. "And you've got that whole big bed too," she added enviously.

Callie chuckled. "It's cold," she said immediately.

Groaning, Arizona let her wife hear it. "Don't talk to me about cold, Calliope. It's over a hundred for the fifth day in a row." For all that though, she could hear children outside playing, giggling as they chased a ball around.

"It's not cold outside, it's cold in _our_ bed," Callie corrected her, eliciting an entirely different kind of groan from her partner.

"Mean."

Laughing again, the sheets of their bed rustled as Callie settled in deeper. "Sorry, baby."

"So, what have you got going on today?" Arizona asked, changing the subject for her own sanity. The medicine was the key. Focus on the medicine and get home to Callie - that was her mantra now. Chatting through their cases didn't take up nearly enough time though and Callie sighed heavily. "What is it, Calliope?"

"It's you," Callie answered her. "You sound tired, Arizona," she continued before the blonde could protest. "And I'm not there, so I'm going to worry about you. Just promise me that you're taking care of yourself, alright? Please? For me, just promise that you're taking care of yourself, okay? I'll sleep better if you promise me that."

Arizona breathed deep, feeling the ache in her chest that had been there since her plane had lifted off in Seattle. "I'm okay, Calliope," she promised. "You don't need to worry about me."

"I'm your wife," Callie interjected. "I'm _going_ to worry about you, Arizona. And I'm going to hang up and I want you to get some sleep, okay?"

"I have a surgery," Arizona cut in, not wanting Callie to hang up the phone. "But I promise that as soon as I'm done, I'll go to sleep." The brunette sighed and Arizona felt a stab of longing for their bed, her wife's arms around her. "Long distance sucks," she said, grumbling. "And I think I snapped at one of the surgeons today. He told me to call my girl if it meant I would stop."

"Because you need to _sleep_," Callie insisted, laughing lightly. "You promise me you'll go to bed early tonight?" she pressed. The care was practically dripping from her words.

There was nothing Arizona could do but agree. "Of course I promise, Calliope."

"You're going to rock your surgery," Callie said. "And I love you." Arizona could practically hear her smile now. "And Africa loves you too. But they can't keep you. Because you're mine," she declared teasingly.

"I'm _so_ yours, Calliope," Arizona confirmed tiredly, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes with a groan.

"Arizona…"

"I will go straight to bed, I swear," she reiterated, leaning forward to watch the kids outside on the floor below her window. The kids here fascinated her, so much more innocent, less jaded than so many of the children back home. And the way they played… Even the sick ones at the clinic, so many of them, even the really sick ones, they were just _happy_ kids, even dealing with the things they were dealing with. It was amazing to watch. And it made her wonder, almost against her will, if she was raising a child, with Callie of course, because doing it without her wasn't an option, what would their child be like… It might be related to how she was completely head over heels in love with her, but Arizona was quite sure that any child raised by Calliope Torres would be very near perfection.

"I'll let you go, babe," Callie said, warm voice in her ear drawing her back to the present. "Good luck on your surgery and sweet dreams, okay? I love you."

Arizona had to swallow a lump of emotion but knew her voice was choked up as she spoke, "I love you, Calliope. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"You'd better. I want to hear about the kick-ass surgery my awesome wife's teaching tonight," Callie told her lovingly. "Good night, honey."

"Good morning," Arizona answered her, reluctantly hanging up the phone and dropping it to the mattress. A second later she flopped back down beside it, watching the fan spin overhead and listening to the noise of the kids interspersed with the sounds of traffic outside.

Being a surgeon had been her dream for a long time. And then she'd met Callie in that bar and took her home and her entire life had shifted. Callie had become her dream, her whole world. Could she add something to that world, their life together? Could she give Callie a child, commit her whole life to a baby? She wanted to say yes, because any life created with Callie would be a gift she'd never imagined for her own future. But she'd been scared forever of having a kid. And even trying to work through that, to keep her promise to Callie to do her best to want kids for herself and not just to keep her partner happy, she was still scared to death to want that.

And watching her patients and their parents, these sick kids and their parents who just had to watch their kids be ill, sometimes even die, her whole career they had always been what she'd pointed to when asked why she didn't want kids of her own. Because being the parent in those chairs in the waiting room, it would kill her. To have a kid of her own be sick and to not be allowed to help, would literally kill her.

And maybe, just maybe, it had been that she hadn't known, hadn't loved Callie yet, but she could almost see their child now where she had never been able to imagine one before. And the thought of that, of anything making that baby cry, ever, filled her with icy terror, but for the first time in her life, that didn't make the idea of having a child impossible. Maybe it really was like Callie had decided in the wake of the shooting - it was _who _she was having a child with that made the difference. And she genuinely believed that she could do anything if Calliope was the one she was doing it with.

The alarm on the table across the little room beeped and she shook herself out of her startling introspection. She was here for the medicine and she had an awesome surgery to perform. There was no time right now for mind numbingly terrifying thoughts about maybe having a baby with the love of her life.

That would have to wait for at least a little while.

The surgery went smoothly, her surgeons each skilled in their own rights, even if they had tendencies that she'd long since trained out of Alex. She just had a certain way she liked things to run in her OR. She was a control freak like that. But she wasn't a monster about it, no matter what Callie had teased more than once about. Every surgeon thought their way was right, though. And there was a reason that she was here in Africa to train these doctors - she was the best.

Even the best got exhausted though, she reflected as she trudged across the street back to her place under the escort of one of her patient's older teenaged brother. He was the translator between herself and his parents, speaking choppy English where they spoke almost none, so she wasn't surprised when he said her name hesitantly as she started to go upstairs to her room.

"Dr. Robbins, I wanted - we, my parents and I, we wished to thank you," he said, words interspersed with pauses and hesitation as he searched his brain for the right words.

"No problem," Arizona promised, clapping a hand to his shoulder and hiding a yawn behind a smile. "Your sister's going to be okay, you know?"

He nodded, smiling shyly. "Because of you. Because you came here."

"Happy to help," she told him. And she was. She missed Callie with every single breath, but she was happy that she'd come here. And she was grateful for the chance to do what she was doing for this place. "Good night, Zeke." That wasn't how his name was pronounced but it was the best approximation she'd been able to manage. He took it with a smile.

"Good night, Dr. Robbins."

Fingers fumbled on the keys, but she typed an email to Callie on her phone telling her about the outcome of the surgery and assuring her that she was going to bed, sending it when she reached her room. The return email a few seconds later made her smile. She loved that woman more than anyone or anything else in the world. And she was born to come here and help these people, she knew that. And it would have long term effects, she knew that too. But it was short term for her. She wasn't supposed to stay here. There were doctors out there and their calling was here.

The only thing she knew that she wanted to be doing in a year, five years, ten, twelve, fifteen, twenty - any point in the rest of her life - was loving Calliope Torres.

And even with her suddenly ambivalent feelings about babies, she slept soundly. Because no matter what happened, she was going to be with Callie. And that was all she really needed to know.

* * *

><p>As always, medical stuff is borrowed from the internet... I have no idea what it is or what it means...<p> 


	52. Chapter 43

Work distracted Callie somewhat, and she made a point of not spending as much time at the bar as she wanted to. She wanted her wife back, not to become an alcoholic. The house had never been cleaner though. And Tim, Alex, and Teddy helped out, hanging out and doing their best to keep her busy. Two months and she was wrapping herself up in her cartilage research to keep from feeling crazy. She missed Arizona every second of every day. The number of days till she saw her again was finally less than the number of days she had been gone, though. Someone, Tim or Teddy she thought, had put a countdown on the fridge and she marked a day off with a flourish with every morning coffee.

The numbers were down to under two weeks when Callie's cartilage went from liquid to an elasticized solid. She cried for an hour after she hung up the phone with Arizona that night. The Chief joked that they were his dream team couple between her imminent medical trial and Arizona's Carter Madison award, the clinic in Africa stabilizing and starting to prosper.

The day she marked the last marker off she didn't sleep at all, just lay in the middle of their bed and waited impatiently for her alarm to go off. Thankfully, Arizona's final flight was coming in early. She'd gotten the call the night before about Arizona's departure from the airport in Africa after a long bus ride and had promptly informed the Chief that she was taking two days off. She was already dressed and ready when Tim knocked on the door to her bedroom, up like a shot and dragging him along by the hand.

"It's time," she said eagerly, hearing him laugh behind her. "Is Teddy coming?"

"She and Alex are going to see her tomorrow for lunch if you two can drag yourselves apart and out of bed," he answered knowingly.

Callie just scoffed, laughing. "We'll see about that." Of course she wanted to sleep with her wife, but more than the sex, she just wanted to _sleep_ with her held in her arms. She wanted to spend the next three months with Arizona wrapped up in her arms, making up for every second they'd been apart.

Tim drove to the airport, Callie's knee bouncing while they made the drive to Sea-Tac, practically hopping and clinging to his hand while they scanned the arrivals board. Callie was too eager to read though and Tim had to steer her in the right direction, pointing her at the correct gate and standing behind her with both hands on her shoulders to keep her grounded.

The blonde hair was tricky to spot under the faded baseball cap, an inherited gift from Tim that she'd initially given to him. It had been to Iraq with him all three times and he'd put it on her head three months earlier in this airport with the gruff instruction to bring it back to him. His arm extended to point out the faded Patriots logo at the same time Arizona spotted them, the blonde hoisting her bag on her shoulder and pushing her way through the line of people.

Dropping her bag without a care, she jumped into Callie's arms, legs winding around her waist while she scattered quick kisses all over her face before she captured her lips, both hands on her face and in her hair, sliding and touching everything she could. "I love you," she broke the kiss to gasp, Callie nipping firmly at her lip. "I can never leave you again. I can't do it. I've been going crazy missing you," she panted between quick, hard kisses.

"Yes," Callie agreed simply, breathing hard as she set her wife back down on her feet. "Let me look at you." She pushed back lightly on her hips though she only held her at arm's length, dark eyes raking her form. Under faded blue jeans and a fitted t-shirt that hit right at the waist and left a tiny sliver of skin between shirt and pants, Arizona was sporting a tan, her hair lighter than Callie was used to, but her happy, dimpled smile was unchanged, her eyes were as blue as ever. "Oh God, I missed you," she sighed, drawing her back into her body.

Arms curled up her back, holding her tightly. "Calliope…" No one but Arizona said her name like that and Callie buried her face in her wife's neck, breathing her in.

Over Callie's shoulder, Arizona could see Tim waiting patiently. "Glad you're home, sis," he said, her abandoned bag slung across his chest.

Callie loosened her hold gradually to let the siblings get to each other, Tim leaning over to speak into her ear. "Me too," Arizona said, smiling up at him. One hand adjusted his cap on her head. "Do you want your hat back?" she asked, smirking.

He flicked the frayed bill with two fingers as Arizona stepped backward slowly into Callie's welcoming arms, the Latina wrapping her up tightly. "Keep it. It looks good on you."

"It does," Callie agreed, kissing her neck. Of course, she hadn't seen her in person in three months so she could be wearing anything and she was pretty sure that it would be making her mouth water.

Leaning into the attention, Arizona laughed, hands rubbing over the arms at her waist. "How about we get my luggage and we go home? I want to go home."

Tim laughed, slinging an arm around his sister's shoulders while she took Callie's hand and laced their fingers together. She wasn't letting her go yet, not anytime soon either. The luggage had only just started rotating on the track, but Arizona was distracted by the steady drip of rain on the roof high above them, blonde head leaning back to watch it through the wide, tall windows.

"I missed the rain," she sighed, missing the way Callie's eyes raked her profile. She couldn't keep her eyes off of her. The laptop was no substitute for Arizona in person. She definitely wasn't leaving the country again. At least not anywhere she couldn't go along. No way. She couldn't handle it again.

"Well, it's coming down out there," Tim assured her, exchanging grins with his sister-in-law. It was good to have Arizona back. Callie wasn't sure she was ever going to stop smiling.

"If you can handle the bags, Tim, I can go get the car," she offered, Arizona instantly squeezing her hand and grabbing her arm with her other hand, fingers winding into the long sleeved t-shirt Callie was wearing.

Hanging onto her, Arizona shook her head sharply, standing on her toes to kiss her cheek, her ear, her neck. "Oh, no, baby, you're not going _anywhere_ without me," she declared, smiling cheerfully. "We can all walk to the car. A little rain never hurt anybody," she said, hugging Callie's arm. "Ooh, Tim, there it goes," she directed, pointing as her bag went by on the conveyor. Rolling his eyes, he waded gamely into the crowd after the suitcase. Arizona promptly turned Callie bodily into her, kissing her again. She didn't want to ever stop doing _this_. "I cannot _wait_ to be alone with you," she breathed, smiling against her wife's lips. She pulled back as she realized the time. "Wait, you don't have to go to work today, do you?"

Callie laughed, shaking her head. "No. I told the Chief I was taking two days."

"We're going to need more days," Arizona murmured as she kissed her again. "We won't have made up the first two weeks in two days, Calliope."

Still laughing, Callie's smile grew. "Well, Dr. Webber seemed like he was under the impression you'd be back at work next week. Is he wrong?"

Arizona went back to her neck, hands sliding possessively into the back pockets of Callie's jeans. "That _might_ work out if you're home with me too. Might not if you're working so much I still never see you."

Callie kissed her hard, not caring that they were in a crowded airport. "You'll see me," she promised. "I'm going to be so all over you you'll be sick of me by the day after tomorrow."

"That sounds promising - the being all over me, I mean - but I will _never_ be sick of you, Calliope," Arizona returned, kissing her until Tim's clearing throat drew her away to glare sweetly at him, burrowing into Callie's arms and resting her head on her chest.

"At least save it till we get home," he suggested, shooting his eyes at a group of teenage boys who made no effort to hide their leering. They scampered when Tim took a quick step toward them.

Arizona determinately kissed her again, uncaring. "Let them have a little treat," she reasoned, taking a moment to grope a healthy ass before withdrawing. "We'll be having our fun all night. And tomorrow…"

"Alex and Teddy want to have lunch with us tomorrow," Callie informed her, smiling.

Blinking, the blonde considered that momentarily. "Energy. Good." Tim just rolled his eyes with an inaudible grumble. "You don't have to stay at the house, Timothy. You're more than welcome to crash at Teddy's. And take Alex with you," she suggested with a smirk. She just wanted to be alone with her wife. Details outside of that didn't matter at the moment.

"Arizona…" chided Callie lightly. She dearly wanted to be selfish with her, but she wasn't the only one who'd been missing Arizona.

Whining, the blonde gave them both a grumpy look. "Fine, but we're making out in the car," she declared stubbornly, leading Callie toward the door by the hand. However, as soon as they were out of the breezeway and incoming traffic, Arizona was pulling her out from under the cover and into the rain. Laughing as she leaned her face back into the steady, fast drops, Arizona guided Callie to spin her, dancing under her wife's arm with a happy grin.

"You're a goof," Callie said fondly, guiding Arizona back against her and swaying the two of them, in no hurry to escape the precipitation. She'd been in Seattle more than two years now and she still loved the rain.

Arizona's blonde head leaned back onto her shoulder and she pecked a kiss under Callie's jaw. "You love it."

"I really, really do," agreed the Latina, speaking into her ear. "You're my goof." Water was soaking into both of their clothes but neither one cared. "I _really_ missed you," she confessed in a whisper. "I'm glad you're home."

"Calliope, you have _no _idea how happy I am to be home," Arizona replied.

Callie shook her head, burying her face into her wife's neck. "Oh, I do _so_, Arizona Robbins." She breathed her in deeply, chuckling. "You smell like airports."

"The rain should help with that," teased Arizona, smiling up at her. "But let's go home and we can take a shower."

"That didn't take long," Tim commented with a laugh.

Callie nudged them forward a few steps, following him toward the car under the rain. "It took about ten minutes. How much more can you expect from me? I mean, you've seen me the last three months," she said, not thinking about how it sounded until Arizona went stiff in her arms. "Babe, Arizona, _no_. That is not what I meant! I am so unbelievably proud of you and I love you more than anyone. But you know that I missed you. That is all I meant."

"It's been pretty pathetic, sis," Tim agreed with a laugh. "The house has never been cleaner though. That's all she'd do - cook, clean, her cartilage research thing, surgery. Rinse and repeat over and over again."

"Calliope…"

"Don't tell me you're sorry," Callie requested before she could do just that. "Because I'm not sorry that you went. You did incredible, amazing, _awesome_ things for an entire country, Arizona. And you're kind, and generous, caring, and the most amazing person I've ever known. If you ever have to leave the country again, I'll just have to go with you, that's all."

Swallowing hard, Arizona mustered her nerve. In between surgery and missing Callie, she'd been doing a lot of thinking. She'd seen and treated so many children while she'd been gone, children whose parents were desperate to provide care for them but there simply wasn't a way to do it. Hopefully she'd been able to help with that somewhat.

It made her think, though. She knew that Callie wanted children, and she knew that Callie would be an amazing mother. It had taken a while for her to come around to the idea, but something had changed watching those kids, those happy kids who didn't know or care that they were sick and whose parents _loved _them no matter what. She'd found herself imagining a baby in her life, their baby, _her _baby with _her_ wife. She found herself burning for it. Nothing in the world would make her happier than having that with Calliope.

Lifting her face to nip at Callie's earlobe, she took another deep breath. "Hey," she whispered, lips brushing against her ear. "I want us to have a baby."

Callie stumbled against her back in her shock, Arizona catching them with a laugh. "Arizona… what-I-?"

"Calliope, breathe," coaxed the blonde with a laugh, moving them forward again. Tim was several yards ahead of them now. "I'm not saying tomorrow, or next week, I'm just saying that I'm open to it." She could feel the hard breathing against the back of her neck, the combination of breath and rain sending a shiver down her spine.

Callie abruptly spun her to face herself, needing to see her wife's eyes. "Arizona…"

"I know you thought I was never going to be ready, but Africa - I have so much I want to tell you. About everything. And we have time to talk about it all, but I just… couldn't wait," she said earnestly. "I want to have a baby with you, Calliope. And I don't care how or when or how many as long as they're _our_ kids."

"Are you serious? Are you being serious right now?" Callie asked breathlessly. This was a dream of hers, the way Africa and the Carter Madison had been a dream of Arizona's. But Arizona herself was the only thing she _needed_. She would never trade her relationship with her wife for anything, even a baby. Not if it wasn't really what Arizona wanted.

The blonde nodded, adjusting her cap on her head as she smiled. "I'm serious, Calliope."

"Oh, I need to get you home, _now_," Callie breathed, hands on her hips drawing her in. "I love you. I'm in love with you. I am _so_ in love with you, Arizona Robbins," she said, softly kissing her in between declarations.

Arizona smiled into the kisses, dimples appearing. "Does that mean you'll have a baby with me?" she checked, Callie's lips back on hers answer enough.

Too quickly, they were torn away again. "Seriously?" Callie questioned again. "This isn't just - I know you just got home and - but Arizona I'm _so_ happy that you're home and you don't have to say anything o-or do anything to make me happier than that, because nothing on this earth makes me happier than you, here, with me right now…"

It was Arizona's turn to cut her off with a kiss, Tim already at the car and putting his sister's luggage in the trunk. "Calliope Torres, I want to have a baby with you. And I hope that makes you happy, but that's not _why_ I want to have a baby with you." She shrugged, smile full of dimples again. "I just _want_ one. Or two. Or ten." Callie laughed and Arizona echoed it. "Probably not ten," she corrected herself. "Maybe we'll start with one and see how it goes?"

"It's perfect," Callie gasped, stealing another kiss. "You're here and it's perfect, Arizona." Another kiss. "But we're making out in the parking lot of the airport and it's raining and your brother is waiting on us. Let's go home."

Nodding her agreement into another kiss, Arizona broke away to pull her along. Tim had already opened the back door knowingly, sure that they wouldn't want to even sit apart, and Arizona squealed as Callie goosed her butt as she climbed into the back of her brother's SUV. "You're the best, Tim," she turned around to say, kissing his cheek before both hands dragged Callie into the car with her, giggling.

Tim was grateful for the surprisingly chaste snuggling in his rearview mirror, Arizona buckling into the middle seatbelt so she could stay cuddled underneath Callie's arm, blonde head on her wife's shoulder. Callie just kept pressing kisses to her soft blonde hair, fingers laced through Arizona's. She was happy to have her home, trying not to get _too_ excited about the hope Arizona had lit inside of her. A baby, _Arizona's_ baby, would be incredible, but she would completely understand if Arizona was just saying stuff because she was happy to be home.

Parking in the driveway, Tim gallantly opened the door for them, offering a hand down out of the car to each of them. He got the luggage while Callie got the door to the house. It was warm and dry inside and Arizona dropped her jacket and cap over the banister while she looked around, drinking in every detail of being in her own home, the house she shared with her family. "I missed the house," she sighed. "They had me in this tiny little apartment and it was nice enough, but there were no pictures and the bed was too little and it didn't smell right." Callie slid up behind her, both arms slipping around her waist to lean her back against herself. "This is home," Arizona whispered, snuggling into the hold.

"I bet you're tired," murmured Callie, shifting them as Tim hauled the luggage through the doors and straight up the staircase.

Alex jogged down right after Tim reach the top. "Robbins is home?" he asked, eager in spite of himself.

"Hey Alex," she said in greeting, dragging herself reluctantly out of Callie's arms to hug her protégé. "You been good?"

"Yeah, boss. Always," he answered, grinning. "When you coming back to work? Because Montgomery has been…"

A throat clearing on the stairs made him stop speaking in a hurry and Arizona leaned around him to look up the stairwell. "You have got to be kidding me…" she muttered, shaking her head as Addison Montgomery descended the stairs. "Has this been happening for three months? In _my_ house…?" Addison had been the surgeon to call for any of her cases involving infants while she'd been gone. And her friends had made no secret of their attraction to each other the last time Addie had been in Seattle.

Addison laughed, hugging her friend tightly. "No, not three months. Pretty much just last night." Alex coughed and she corrected herself, "The last two nights."

Arizona sent a look over her shoulder at Callie. "And did you know about this?"

"What?" Brown eyes blinked at her in surprise. "No! I've been working every day. I've been at the hospital."

Alex nodded confirmation of the alibi, Arizona's mouth pulling down at the corners. "She hasn't had a day off since you left, boss," he lowered his voice to tell her, shrugging when Callie sent him a sharp look at the betrayal.

"Addie, if you could stay in town for a day or two, I have something I want to talk to you about," Arizona said, eyes staying on Callie who was diligently avoiding her gaze. "And Alex, I'll check in with you tomorrow. Lunch, right?"

"Yeah," he said, sensing that he was being dismissed. "I'll see you."

They were alone, Tim jogging out after the others, when Arizona spoke again. "Calliope…" She took both of her wife's hands and led them up the stairs toward their bedroom, walking backwards up the steps. "You haven't taken a day off in three months? Baby, you told me you were taking care of yourself," she chided gently, tone even. Callie had even berated her more than once about not taking care of herself while she'd been gone.

"Arizona…"

"You look tired," the blonde interjected softly. "Did you sleep last night?"

Biting her lip, Callie confessed, "Last night, I guess not, but I _have_ been sleeping. I promise. And I'm fine," she insisted. "I was just excited to see you _finally_ and I couldn't sleep."

"Well, you're going to sleep now," Arizona declared, fingers winding into her lover's shirt. She didn't strip it off though, just used the leverage to pull her into their room. "We're both going to sleep, okay? Because I have been dreaming about you, and about just sleeping with you." She smiled slowly, dimples fully in place. "I would be _happy_ to tear your clothes off, and I fully intend to, Calliope, but first I just want to _sleep _in the same place with you, with your arms around me and…"

"Arizona, anything we do is going to make me happy, baby," Callie said softly. "Can I just make one request?"

"Anything in the world that you want is yours," promised Arizona in a heartbeat.

"Can we lose the jeans?"

Arizona didn't answer verbally, toeing off her shoes without bothering to untie them and kicking them across the room. Normally the one who picked Callie's clothes up off the floor, she shucked her jeans off without a second thought. "You too. Now, please," she cheerfully ordered, helping her wife's efforts along by handling the belt and button and zipper herself while Callie kicked off her own sneakers.

Falling into bed, Arizona couldn't resist kissing her wife, the touch of bare legs against each other driving her desire to sleep almost completely out of her head. Unfortunately, her body didn't receive the message and she broke the kiss to yawn, Callie giggling. "Arizona, it's okay. We will get naked later. Just come here," she coaxed, one hand sliding into blonde hair to guide her head to her own chest, arm wrapping around her shoulder as they tangled their legs together.

"Oh my God," Arizona sighed as she breathed deeply, feeling as if her entire body spontaneously relaxed now that she was in their bed, in her wife's embrace. She'd slept fine in Africa, not well, but not too bad either, but this was what her body had been craving that whole time. "I don't want to ever sleep without you again, Calliope."

A kiss landed on her hair. "You got a deal," Callie murmured, feeling her own comfort soaking in through her pores as she finally found the warmth she'd reached for every night on the other half of the bed. It took them a less than a minute to fall asleep.


	53. Chapter 44

Jetlag was a bitch, Arizona decided as she jerked awake at one in the morning. She'd been home just less than a full day, but had made no effort to correct her sleeping schedule. Sleeping through the morning had done nothing to help her out. And apparently their efforts to tire each other out through multiple rounds of sex had been less successful than anticipated.

At least, for her. Callie was sleeping soundly beside her. Keeping still and trying to focus on the steady in and out of her wife's breathing didn't help. She was completely wide awake. It wasn't Callie's fault that her body was still on the clock of another country. She'd been quietly nervous that after three months of sleeping alone she'd be uncomfortable sharing space again but she already knew that wasn't going to be an issue. She'd never been more relaxed or comfortable in her life than she was laying next to Calliope.

She just couldn't sleep.

A solution came to mind (more of the same recipe they'd used to get to sleep in the first place - sex until they couldn't keep themselves up anymore) but she tried not to think about it. Callie was asleep. It wouldn't be right to wake her up just because she couldn't sleep. And was perpetually hot for her. Her fingertips were itching to touch her, as a matter of fact. On the other hand, Callie had been just as celibate as she had been the last three months. And there was nothing minimal about their desire for each other. Waking Callie up to get her off couldn't have a downside, could it? It's not like either of them had to work later…

Without stopping to think too long about it (she didn't want to talk herself out of it now that she'd talked herself into it), Arizona leaned over Callie's ear. "Calliope…" The brunette grunted and twitched but made no other response. "I can't sleep. Wake up so I can do you," she continued, lightly shaking Callie's shoulder.

Moaning, Callie slowly blinked one eye open at her, clearly disoriented. "Mmh, babe, what?" Arizona almost wished she could have second thoughts about waking Callie up, but she was delightful when she was sleepy. Even when she was grumpy or didn't know exactly what was going on. And she _needed_ to touch her. "What's wrong?"

Arizona smiled, dropping a kiss against the skin under Callie's ear and feeling her lover shift to give her more room. "I want you," whispered Arizona, breathing the words straight into her ear.

"Oh." It took Callie a second more to realize exactly what that meant. "_Oh_, right…" Turning over, she caught the back of Arizona's neck and drew her into a kiss, the blonde's body sliding onto her immediately. Thank goodness neither had been aware enough to put on clothes after their last explosive round, because the press of flesh on flesh was _awesome_. And Arizona's arousal was instantly obvious on her skin, Callie moving a thigh between her legs to help her out.

The pressure where she needed it made Arizona moan into the kiss, her body instinctively rocking down into the friction. Hell yes. This is what she needed. This was what her body craved. This and air. She had to break the kiss to breathe, panting hard for breath.

"You really needed this, didn't you?" Callie asked, a bit breathless herself. She lifted her head to kiss Arizona's neck and jaw, sucking on her collarbones. "You could have woken me up sooner," she said with a smile.

"Oh, I didn't wait that long," Arizona confessed honestly, gasping and laughing as she rode Callie's leg. Then a hand was squirming in between them and fingers were spreading her wetness, rolling her clit. "Oh fuck!"

Callie leaned her head back as she explored her, watching Arizona gasp and moan above her. The blonde was braced on both hands, her eyes squeezed closed hard. She was soaking wet and burning hot, clearly ready for anything Callie wanted to give her. She kept her fingers light though, wanting to play a little, draw it out of her. "Did you do this in Africa?" she asked, tone deliberately light as if she wasn't preparing to fuck her wife's brains out.

It took Arizona a few seconds to realize she was supposed to respond. "Nngh, do what?"

"Touch yourself," Callie clarified, shifting lower to take a nipple into her mouth. She withdrew to ask again, "Did you imagine I was there with you?" Arizona's gasping, groaning moan was answer enough. "Did it feel like this?"

"No, not like this!" Arizona ground out, rocking desperately against the fingers that still weren't inside her. Nothing felt like this. The touch of her own hand was good enough, but she needed Callie if she wanted real pleasure. "Please…" she begged. "Please, I need…"

Callie kissed her again, thumb pressing against her clit while two fingers circled her entrance. "I know," she murmured sympathetically, though she did nothing to relieve her. "We'll get there." She slid one fingertip where Arizona needed it, though the thrust was quick and shallow. "Talk to me about Africa," she requested again, sounding calm against all reason. Arizona was rocking on her and panting like she was running a marathon. If it wasn't making her crazy, the contrast would have almost been funny.

"What?" she gasped. How could she be expected to talk right now? She just wanted to get _fucked_. And to turn the tables and fuck Callie until she couldn't move. Of course, the way Callie was teasing her, she was in for the reciprocation of a lifetime…

Callie gave her some relief and entered her with one finger, Arizona's pace quickening in a heartbeat at the penetration. "Just answer the questions, Arizona," she coaxed, blonde head nodding desperately as she thrust herself against Callie's hand. "Did you make yourself come in Africa? Like I'm going to make you come?"

"Yes," answered Arizona on a sharp breath. "It was three months, Calliope!"

"Did you think about me?" Callie asked her next question, rewarding her with a thrust of her own hips to drive the finger deeper inside of her.

"Every time!" Arizona's eyes were squeezed closed tightly, her entire body tensed to explode. It wasn't going to take much more. "All the time," she added pleadingly. She'd thought about Callie every hour of every day she'd been gone and missed her every night. But the clinic had kept her plenty busy and exhausted. But the few times she'd been unable to deny her need for an orgasm (normally after talking to Callie or seeing her face on the computer), her gorgeous wife had been the only thought in her head. And none of them had felt _anything _like this. "God, I missed this," she gasped out, collapsing forward as her peak hit her like a truck, Callie adding a second finger to her next stoke.

Arizona's hips were jerking beyond her control, riding Callie's hand while she gaped for breath and pleaded with her lover for it to never, ever stop. Callie obliged the best she could, keeping her fingers moving inside her and adding her hips to the equation to deepen her thrusts. Arizona's head was buried in the pillow above her shoulder and Callie sucked a nipple into her mouth to drive her higher still. The next orgasm tore through her without warning, Arizona pitching headlong into it. Callie's hand on her hip kept her steady, her body still pushing against the tanned goddess beneath her.

"That's my girl," Callie coaxed as she switched breasts. "You're so hot, Arizona. And _so_ tight," she moaned, kissing the flesh that was swaying over her face with every hard thrust. "You feel so good…"

Teeth on her aching nipple, combined with the words against her skin and the curling fingers inside her threw her into a third, smaller and weaker, orgasm and Arizona gasped for mercy. She had no doubt that Callie could keep her coming all night long, but she wanted to make her feel good too. And if she could make Callie feel half as good as she felt right now, she'd be doing pretty damn good. She wasn't sure she'd ever come so hard in her life. She'd definitely never felt so hazily blissed out before.

"Oh my God," panted Arizona, struggling to catch her breath. "Awesome!" She fell off of her wife as Callie withdrew her fingers, flopping onto her side and curling up slightly around her still contracting core. "Oh my God, waking you up was the best idea I've ever had!" she declared breathlessly.

Callie followed her with a laugh, gently pushing the blonde onto her back and rubbing her stomach lightly with one hand. She loved that she could still feel the muscles spasming under the soft, sweat slicked skin. "I hope you weren't hesitating to wake me up for _that_," she said with a warm chuckle. "Anytime you need _that_, you just wake me up. Please."

And just like that, feeling her body relaxing into warm, happy fatigue, Arizona knew she could sleep now. But she burned to make Callie feel good. She needed to touch her the way she'd dreamed about touching her a thousand times over the last three months. "I know we've said this, but I can't ever leave you again," she said, starting to catch her breath. "And not just because of _that_," she clarified quickly, watching Callie's eyebrow rise. God, she loved that eyebrow. And the warm, sweet, loving smile on her full lips, she loved that too. "I just need you, Calliope. And I don't want to live a day that you're not there."

"I'm here," Callie murmured, the arm she was leaning on reaching up to stroke sweaty blonde hair back from her face. "Of course, I don't disagree with anything you're saying…" She laughed when Arizona grinned up at her, wearily picking her head up to kiss her. "Mmh, I'm really glad you woke me up," she said against her wife's lips. Arizona sucked on her bottom lip. She was really glad she'd woken Callie up too. "Think you can sleep now?" Callie asked in between increasingly heated kisses, Arizona's hand in her hair keeping her from withdrawing.

"Don't want to right now," declared Arizona, changing the angle and drawing Callie back to her. "But if you're too tired…"

Callie just shook her head, disheveled black hair falling around both of their faces. "Where do you want me?" she asked instead, perfectly willing to do anything Arizona wanted. The smile on her face went positively sexy. "When you thought about us, at night when you were all alone, what was your favorite? How did you take me?"

This woman was going to be the death of her. Months apart and she said _that_? "Holy hell! You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" she gasped, Callie just smiling down at her. The expression was promising. Anything she asked for, she would get. "How did I take you?" she echoed the question, swallowing hard when Callie just arched that damn eyebrow at her again. Images, hundreds of images, shot through her brain. "Calliope, you're letting a starving person loose in a grocery store, here…" she offered warningly.

Callie just shrugged. "Eat away," she invited her, smirking at the wide blue eyes that her deliberate choice of words got her.

Arizona was breathing hard again without realizing it, eyes darting everywhere as she tried to organize her lust choked brain enough to pick somewhere to get started. "Calliope, I really don't think you know what you're volunteering for…" Arizona said hoarsely, offering her one more chance to roll over and go back to sleep.

"Arizona, we haven't made love in three months," the brunette countered. "I know exactly what I'm asking for. Now, are you going to tell what you want, or should I start on myself?"

An olive skinned hand slid down her chest and Arizona lunged into action, pushing Callie onto her back and then over again so she was on her front in the middle of the bed. Taken from behind had always been one of Callie's favorites. It seemed like a good place to start. "This okay?" Arizona leaned over her to ask even as Callie lifted her hips in invitation.

Callie just growled, "Arizona…" She was clearly as needy as Arizona for contact, moaning when breasts pressed into her back, two fingers immediately thrusting inside. Working Arizona up always had the same effect on her and she knew it wouldn't take much.

And Arizona could feel it too so she immediately adopted a slow, deep rhythm. She'd been given three breathtaking, heart-stopping orgasms, yes, but Callie had been in no hurry to give them to her. "Do you know how much I love you?" Arizona whispered as she leaned her head in to suck on the back of her neck, bracing her body on the hand that wasn't moving inside her wife. Good Lord, she'd missed this.

"Show me," Callie pleaded, needing more of everything Arizona could give her. It was the perfect thing for her to say and Arizona could feel herself fall deeper in love with her. Reaching back with one hand, Callie wound her fingers into blonde hair, holding her close. She could feel Arizona scattering kisses across her neck and her shoulder as she started moving faster, going deeper.

Breathing grew harder, but Arizona kept her pace steady and strong. She knew exactly how much more it would take to take her over the peak and she kept Callie dancing on the edge of that line. "I dreamed about you, Calliope. All the time. If I dreamed at all, it was about you." Moaning, Callie buried her face in the sheets, her body arching back into Arizona's. "I dreamed about doing this once or twice, too," she continued, sucking an earlobe into her mouth.

"Arizona, please," Callie ground out, rocking herself between the bed and Arizona behind her. This felt incredible, but she needed to come or she was going to scream. In fact, she might scream either way. She just needed to come with her wife inside her.

Teeth nipped her neck and Arizona curled her fingers. "Come for me." Callie obeyed with a throaty moan, turning her face into the pillow to muffle the sound while her hand gripped blonde hair hard. Arizona stayed pressed against her, feeling her ride it out as the body below her went tight everywhere before spontaneously relaxing. The hand in her hair loosened slowly and Callie turned her face to catch a breath while Arizona peppered her face and neck with kisses. "I love you."

"I can tell," Callie joked lightly, feeling like she could almost just melt into the mattress. She shifted her hips slightly and Arizona pulled out, flopping down beside her. Immediately, Callie pushed herself up on one arm and leaned over to kiss her. "I love you too," she sighed, slumping back down to rest her head against the back of Arizona's shoulder while her arm draped across her lover's body. "Give me a minute to remember how to breathe and you can tell me what's next on the list," Callie said as she nuzzled her face into the back of Arizona's neck.

Moaning a laugh, Arizona felt a quiver shoot through her. Waking Callie really had been her best idea ever. "We can go to sleep," she offered. She was sure she'd sleep like a baby now. But of course, if making love to her wife again was on offer, she was up for that too.

"We'll sleep later," Callie decided. "Your sleep schedule's already screwed up for tonight anyway. You just have to promise not to hate me tomorrow afternoon when I make you stay up until a normal bedtime."

"Well, if we go again, you'll be tired tomorrow afternoon with me," reasoned Arizona with a smile. "And maybe we could call it an early night together."

Callie dropped a smacking kiss to the skin she could reach first. "What if we take a shower?" she suggested. "We kind of smell like sex." She sounded nothing but proud of that fact.

Stretching, Arizona turned over to look up at her. Callie's sex hair was absolutely incredible. She loved it. She could only imagine how her own hair looked after Callie's frenzied tugging. And she found the remnants of their earlier activities in the still rising mouth shaped bruises on the Latina's neck. "We definitely need to take a shower," she agreed, biting her lip as Callie kissed slowly across the top of her chest.

"Unless you have something else you'd rather do," offered Callie. "The shower's not going anywhere."

Arizona combed fingers into dark hair. It had grown out while she'd been gone. "Let's take a shower," she declared hoarsely. They could always have shower sex, but more than that, she just wanted to be close to her. Anything they were doing was fine with her as long as they were close. And if she had a good excuse to touch Callie's hair, then all the better.

"Will you help me wash my hair?" Callie asked softly, knowing perfectly well how Arizona felt about her hair.

Arizona hummed in satisfaction as she leaned up, Callie moving with her. This woman was perfect. Callie just smirked when she told her so.


	54. Chapter 45

The plan had been to go out for lunch with Alex and Teddy and Tim and Addison, but they hadn't managed to drag themselves apart, much less out of bed. So when there was a knock on the door of their bedroom, Arizona fell completely out of bed in her surprise, her hair sticking up wildly. "What?" she called.

"We brought pizza. Stop having sex and come visit with your friends," Tim yelled back.

"But we're not even in double digits yet!" Arizona said, ducking Callie's swat of protest as she heard the groan from the other side of the door. Laughing, she scrambled back onto the bed to kiss her yet again. They were _close_ to double digits (once away, actually), but it was always fun to mess with her brother.

Callie pushed her onto her back with both hands, thriving on the feel of all the bare skin available to her eyes and her hands. "I know you're hungry," she said with a laugh.

"Now, Calliope, you know that I have eaten _very_ well this morning," Arizona teased, dimpled grin locked in place.

"Arizona, I want to be selfish with you, but everyone else missed you too," Callie reminded her patiently even as she blushed brightly at the not so subtle innuendo.

Arizona stretched languidly through their mussed sheets, pleased and relieved by the pleasant soreness in her muscles. It had been a _long_ three months without her wife. "I want to talk to Addie about our options for a baby if it's okay with you," she said, smile growing impossibly as she heard Callie's shocked intake of breath. "And you feel free to be as selfish with me as you want to be, because I'm going to be doing it to you. I might not let you out of my sight, babe. Like, not for weeks!"

"You were serious about all that baby stuff?" Callie asked as Arizona rolled onto her stomach.

The blonde just laughed, stealing a kiss before she slid off the bed to search for clothes. "Yes, Calliope, I was serious about all that baby stuff," she echoed, slipping into underwear. "Did you change your mind? Because that's something I would want to know."

"No!" yelped Callie too loudly and Arizona sent her a grin over her shoulder as she fastened a bra on. "I mean, no," she repeated in a more normal tone, matching her wife's grin. "I absolutely want to have a baby with you, Arizona. I just - can I be honest with you?"

Arizona turned, pulling one of Callie's long sleeved t-shirts over her head. "Of course," she said seriously, curling a leg under her as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Honestly, I never really expected you to come around on the baby thing," Callie confessed, nothing Arizona wasn't expecting her to say. "And I am honestly okay with that. _You_ are all that I want from life. Just you. Not you and a baby. Not if that's not what you want."

Arizona met her eyes, smile slowly growing. "Okay, so what do I have to do to convince you that this is something I want, not just something that I can live with to keep you, but something I genuinely want?"

"You're not going to lose me," Callie said, smiling herself. "That is _never_ going to happen. Baby or no baby. And you don't have to prove anything to me, Arizona." She crooked two fingers at her, drawing her in. "I just, can we talk about it? I'd like to know why, all of a sudden, you know?"

Crawling forward, Arizona's knees found places on either side of Callie's hips, the Latina still covered by the bed sheets. "We can talk about everything," she promised. "I want to. I want to tell you everything, Calliope." Her stomach growling made them both laugh. "But apparently everyone's downstairs waiting on us." She took a sweet kiss. "We'll talk. I promise you. Lots of talking."

Callie grinned, leaning her head back and settling her hands on her partner's hips. "Talking and sex, and talking and sex, right?"

"Exactly," agreed the blonde, taking another slow, deeper kiss. Her stomach growled again and they laughed. "Let's go eat."

Callie followed her out of bed, getting dressed slowly while she appreciated the view of Arizona in her clothes. It had been too long. And Arizona wore her shirt _very_ well indeed. "You know, after three months of food from Africa, you probably shouldn't eat that pizza, babe. Your stomach isn't used to American food anymore."

Realizing she was right, Arizona swatted her butt sharply. "Damn it! And I love pizza! I've missed having pizza after sex!"

Callie laughed, spinning to wrap her arms around her. "How about I make you something?" she proposed. "I can cook and you can visit with everybody." She turned the blonde around in front of her, putting her back against her chest. "I think we have some chicken and some rice. Fried rice sound okay to you?"

"Yum," Arizona hummed in approval, Callie kissing her neck with a smack before letting her go so they didn't fall down the stairs. "Thank you, Calliope. You're the best wife ever!"

Hearing the familiar buzz of conversation in the living room was a wonderful change while she was cooking, Arizona's voice in the mix making it perfect. Normally she turned on the radio while she cooked but hearing Arizona regaling their friends with stories of her time in Africa was all she wanted to hear today. Arizona back in their house was all she wanted for the rest of her life.

Tim came into the kitchen to get another round of drinks and hugged her around the shoulders. "She's been in Africa for three months and you're still all she can talk about," he teased her. "Smells good."

"Did you guys already eat all the pizza?" she asked, laughing lightly, leaning back against his side. Timothy was the best brother in the world and, always friendly, they'd only gotten closer in Arizona's absence.

"Come on, Cal! You know I saved yours from Karev," he promised. "You're gonna come in and sit with us, right?"

Turning her head, she pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Yeah, I'll be right there. Could you go ahead and grab me a drink?"

"Already got it."

Arizona dug into her homemade fried rice as soon as Callie put the bowl in her lap, the blonde squirming into her side the second she sat down on the couch. Callie didn't contribute much to the conversation, content to just listen. Arizona really had been doing amazing work. But now she was back and she grilled Alex and Addie for news of her Peds wing.

It was a little while before Alex and Teddy had to get back to the hospital, leaving Addison and Tim with the reunited couple. Arizona was happily cuddling into her side on the couch and Callie just peacefully stroked fingers through her hair. It had gotten so much longer while she'd been gone. As beautiful as ever, though. And the tan was hot. She was married to a beautiful, caring, generous, selfless, loving woman. The woman who wanted to be the mother of her children. It was almost too good to be true.

Except that it was true. This was her life. Arizona was home, Arizona was in her arms, Arizona was talking about children.

Even as she thought it, Arizona opened her mouth and put words to it, "Addison, I think we'd like to talk to you about having a baby…"

The redhead's blue eyes widened as she grinned across the coffee table at the couple. "Seriously? Are you being serious right now? Arizona Robbins, if you're screwing with me…"

"Not screwing with you," Arizona said, catching the startled looks exchanged between Callie and Tim, a smirking grin growing on her brother's face.

"I thought we were going to talk about this," Callie interjected lightly, kissing the side of her head.

"We are," said Arizona simply. "But you want a baby, I want a baby, and one of the best neonatal specialists in the world is a good friend and she happens to be sitting across the room," she pointed out with a chuckle. "All the kids I saw in Africa, they were sick and suffering and most of them, they didn't even care. They were happy. And I got to help them get out of the hospital and hopefully run and play and be even happier." She breathed deeply, drawing the familiar scent of Callie into her. She'd missed this every day she'd been gone.

"And I saw their parents. I - it would kill me to have a sick child, but I was raised by a Marine and I can't be so scared of something that I don't even try to have it. I was scared for a long time to want kids, Calliope. But seeing what I saw over there, and seeing those parents who love their kids and want the best for them…" She sighed, locking eyes on Callie's. "I want that with you. I want that to be us." A beat. "Okay?"

Callie had to swallow hard, couldn't speak around the lump in her throat. "Okay," she rasped out. "I love you."

"I love you," Arizona echoed in a whisper. "And it's not like we can get pregnant immediately, you know. It'll take time and planning and I just want to ask Addie about some details while she's here. Is that okay with you? We can wait…"

"No, you're right," interjected Callie, kissing her quickly. "Go nuts," she offered with a growing, eager smile. Babies with Arizona. Holy shit… It sounded _awesome_. She stayed quiet while Arizona and Addison chattered about details. Whatever it took, she didn't care as long as they were doing it together.

They could all see Arizona's jetlag starting to crash in on her, but she wouldn't let consciousness go until she'd outlined a plan with her friend to give them a baby. The others were left smiling as she finally succumbed against Callie's shoulder, breathing soft and slow.

Tim was the first to break the quiet, "Whoa."

Callie laughed, keeping it low to avoid waking her partner. "You're not kidding, brother. Go to Africa, come back wanting a baby. That was _not_ what I was expecting."

"Well, you guys will kick the ass of whatever I get Mom for Christmas this year," he joked, pushing his hair back with one hand as he leaned forward in his seat. "So thanks for that."

"It probably won't happen that fast," Addison reminded them patiently, smirking at her sleeping friend. "You really have done something to her, Callie."

She just smiled softly, still stroking her wife's hair. "She will be _such_ a good mom," she murmured. "Won't she?"

Tim laughed, scratching his head again almost nervously. "We've all been telling her that for years but it took _you_ to get her there. And your kid will have her wrapped around their little finger just like you do." Callie grinned at him fondly. Arizona would do anything for her, she knew that, but she would do anything for Arizona and they all knew it. "How about - I mean - never mind…"

Callie cocked an eyebrow at him, knowing him well enough by now to know when he was trying to hide something. "What's up, Tim?"

"Dr. Montgomery, you'd - for a baby there's got to be a guy, right?" He blushed uncharacteristically when the women both smirked at him. "I know how it works," he said before they could tease him. "I was listening to all the…_talking_ earlier. But the donor or whatever, what's the deal with that…?"

"We'll have to pick one," Callie told him, not sure why he was talking about this.

"Somebody that looks like Arizona? So the baby would look like you both?" She swallowed, nodding slowly as she started to see why he had brought it up. "Well, what about me?" he suggested hesitantly. "I mean, it would be your kid, of course. And I'm not as blonde as she is, or blue-eyed like her, but they might get the dimples or the nose, or something." He grinned, though he was clearly nervous, and the dimples were put on display. The Robbins did have some good genes. "You wouldn't have to tell anybody or anything. And it would be your kid. I swear to God. I just want to be Uncle Tim."

Callie only realized that her mouth was hanging open when she closed it, swallowing hard again. "Timothy… I - you don't have to do that."

"I know. And if it's not something you want to do, that's fine," he said. "And it sucks that I'm pretty much the closest alternative to having a mix of the two of you, but I'm happy to help if you want me to."

She abruptly smirked at him, leaning her cheek against soft blonde hair. "You know that doesn't mean you can sleep with me?" Callie teased, Addison laughing from her chair. "It would be clinical."

"And that's exactly how we'd present it to Arizona, too," he declared immediately, not eager to get smacked by his sister.

Callie glanced between him and Addison, the redhead shrugging. "It would be simpler. And safer - on the chance that something did happen, knowing where the genes came from, we'd know the possible risk factors and a complete family history…" she offered her input. "But I'm the best, and my people are the best, and Arizona's the best. Your baby will be in good hands long before it's ever born, no matter how we do it."

"And it would be _your_ baby, Cal," Tim repeated insistently. "I'll sign whatever or do whatever."

She nodded, considering. Short of Arizona being the one to get pregnant, something she was hesitant to suggest even after her wife's change of heart about the whole thing, Tim's offer was their best shot at having a child that would have Arizona's features in its genes. Of course, she would love any child they had together, no matter how they came into their life or whose genetics they had. But doing it this way _was_ enticing.

"Thank you," Callie whispered. "I love you for offering. Well, I mean, I just love you, you know," he grinned, "Let's ask Arizona. She can decide."

Tim let out a deep breath, nodding. "But you don't mind that I offered to knock you up?" he asked, still grinning.

Abruptly, Arizona jumped, breathing hitching as she woke up. "You offered to _what_ now?" Blue eyes blinked around the room at Addison laughing into her water glass, Tim leaning back in a hurry, and up at Callie's wide eyes over her head. "How long was I asleep?"

"Half an hour, maybe?" Callie answered, trying to gauge how much her partner could have heard.

"And in that half hour, it became okay for my brother to sleep with my wife? Because I missed that vote," said Arizona, voice heavy and thick with sleep. "And also, that's _not_ happening…"

"That's not what we meant," the brunette told her. "And you know it." Full lips dragged across her forehead. "I'm not sleeping with anyone but you."

Arizona leaned into the kiss with a sweet, sleepy smile before she withdrew to narrow blue eyes at her partner. "So why did Timmy say he was going to knock you up?"

Exchanging looks with her brother-in-law, Callie breathed deep and spilled the beans, "Because he offered to help us have a Robbins-Torres baby."

The blonde sat up straighter quickly, looking sharply at Tim. "What?"

He ran both hands over the tops of his legs, shrugging broad shoulders. "It's up to you, but we've been talking about it. It's whatever you want, sis."

"Whoa," she said, leaning back against Callie, looking upside down at her. "You're okay with this?"

"I want to have your baby, Arizona. Whatever that means," Callie promised.

Arizona had to hold back a moan as the mental image of pregnant Callie came back to the top of her still drowsy mind. "You're going to be _so_ beautiful pregnant," she sighed, craning up to kiss her jaw. Her gaze shifted back to her brother. "You would really do that for us?"

"Absolutely," he said without hesitation.

Arizona bit her lip, not sure what to say. "And you'd be…?"

Tim answered immediately, "Uncle Tim."

"_I_ was always the one who didn't want kids," she reminded him. "You want kids, brother." And Tim would be an amazing father. She couldn't take that away from him.

"And maybe I'll have some someday. This is _your_ kid. I'll only ever be Uncle Tim." He grinned and it drew an answering grin from her. "It's your kid, Arizona."

Blue eyes turned back to Callie. "And you're okay with this?"

She nodded, breathing deeply. "It's your baby, Arizona," she echoed. "Any baby I ever have is going to be yours, no matter how we get it."

"Addison?" the blonde questioned the thus far quiet, professional side of the discussion.

"You know as well as I do, Arizona," answered Addison with a shrug. "Knowing the donor is safer, and you'd have a little tan, dimply little bucket of cuteness," she finished, smiling as she lost her professional edge. "You're going to let me help, right? I'll come here or…"

Arizona laughed. "You're not an OB, Addie," she reminded her friend. It was sweet really, how much her friends wanted to help them out with this. "You guys…" And they really would have the _cutest _children in the world. Even if they did pick a blonde donor to look like her, her partner's Latina genes would be hard to overpower. Callie pulled her closer, smiling against her hair. "Thank you both." She yawned, comfy and warm with Callie while still sleepy meaning that she wasn't going to be able to stay awake for much longer. "We'll talk… later…"

Arizona's head dipped against her shoulder and Callie pressed her down gently, hushing her. "Yeah, sweetheart, we'll talk later. Go back to sleep."

The first thing she saw as she closed her eyes was the sweetest little face, dark hair, dark eyes, olive skin and her own dimples, her face. And damn it if it wasn't the most beautiful, most adorable, most perfect little baby she'd ever seen.

* * *

><p>Okay, now before anyone bites my head off - Tim wouldn't be Tim if he didn't offer. It doesn't mean they're going to go that route. They'll talk about it when the time comes...<p> 


	55. Chapter 46

Fighting her way clear of Arizona's arms in the morning remained as hard a week after her return from Africa as it had been the first day. Arizona demonstrated stubborn strength even while sleepy and dragged her back into a sudden seat on the edge of the bed. "Where are you going?" she whined, sliding over to wrap both arms around her waist and cracking one eye open toward the clock. "It's early, Calliope."

"Go back to sleep," Callie coaxed her. "The alarm will wake you up in time for work."

Arizona didn't let her go. "So where are you going?" Going out on a Tuesday morning without her when they were both off work until later didn't compute for her. She just stared her down with her single open eye, the other still buried in her pillow.

Sighing, Callie rolled her eyes. "Okay, you're going to laugh…"

Arizona was instantly intrigued. She had never seen Callie squirm about telling her something like this before and it was making her very curious. "What is it?"

Before she could answer, their bedroom door opened suddenly. "Up and at 'em, Torres! We got to go or we're going to be late." Tim barked, his eyes focused on the laces of the softball glove in his hands.

"Hey!" yelped Arizona in protest, jerking sheets over herself reflexively. "What happened to knocking? And what's with that glove?"

Tim jumped, having honestly forgotten that Arizona was home to protest him bursting into her bedroom. "Oh, oops. Sorry, sis."

"Tim and I joined the hospital's softball team while you were gone," Callie explained, pulling one of Arizona's hands up from her waist to kiss the back of it. "We've got practice this morning."

Downstairs, the door opened and Mark Sloan's voice yelled up the stairs, "Robbinses! Let's go!"

Arizona couldn't help her instinctive grimace. "That guy?" she demanded incredulously. "You joined the team with _that_ guy?" realizing what he'd yelled in greeting, she blinked, "And did he call you Robbins?" She liked the sound of that a _lot_, no matter who said it.

"It's the hospital's team, honey," Callie reminded her, smiling as she noticed the distracted but pleased look on her wife's face. "And yes, he did. I think he likes pluralizing it." And she'd happily be counted as a Robbins. Dropping a kiss on her forehead, Callie stood up. "But we've got to go now, so I'll see you at work later, okay? Go back to sleep."

Arizona was still getting used to sleeping a normal schedule (even a surgeon's version of normal) and she nodded willingly. "Okay. Have fun, I guess." She sat up to take another kiss on the lips. "Can I come watch you guys play a game?"

"Absolutely," Callie agreed warmly, shaking her head as Arizona promptly flopped back into bed and snuggled back under the blankets when Callie pulled them up over her shoulders.

The Seattle Grace team had their next game the following weekend and Arizona happily took a seat in the bleachers to watch the game. Only her absence from practice had kept her from having to participate, all of her fellow surgeons (and somehow her brother - she wasn't sure how that had happened, exactly) had been enlisted to play in the game.

Callie was playing outfield, but didn't seem to be sticking to one side, just filling any gap in the defense that needed to be filled. Lexie Grey was some kind of pitching wizard though, making Callie's job mostly unnecessary. So Arizona didn't feel bad about wandering from her seat on the bleachers out toward the outfield fence, Callie defending in her direction with a grin on her face.

"Hey, you. You having fun?" the brunette asked happily, keeping one eye on the game and bouncing from side to side on her feet.

Arizona just grinned back at her. Her wife was hot as hell in her uniform. Royal blue was a good color on her. And of course, she had the sleeves of the t-shirt under her jersey rolled up to her elbows. The jersey itself was only buttoned by two buttons in the middle of her chest, the bottom on the shirt tied beneath her breasts. And her hair was braided under her cap, the hat turned around backwards on her head. "Yep. Lots of fun. You look really hot," she declared, Callie sending her an amused smirk. "What? It's true! I'm here to watch you and I'm having a blast, Calliope."

Taking her hat off, Callie waved her over to the fence. "Come here." As soon as she was in reach, Callie put the baseball cap on her wife's head, tweaking one of her pigtails for good measure. She was married to the most adorable woman in the world. "Very cute," she said approvingly, winking at the blonde.

Hearing the crack of a bat against ball, Callie's attention snapped back to the game and Arizona cheered as her partner took off running and managed to catch the ball in the glove extended at the length of her arm. She quickly whipped it into a fast shot to second base for the double play, Mark Sloan tagging out the runner and ending the inning.

Callie spun to blow a kiss at Arizona, the blonde jumping excitedly and cheering on the other side of the fence while the brunette jogged backwards toward the dugout, turning when Mark slapped her butt in playful pride. She promptly shoved him back, still grinning outwardly but grimacing inside. Arizona wouldn't love to see that. But Mark had been a friend when she'd needed one. He was just physically affectionate, which she'd warned him more than once about, but it appeared that he needed another reminder now that Arizona was home.

Risking a glance at the sideline, Arizona's expression was hidden by the blue baseball cap. Her posture was telling though, her arms crossing her chest. Shit. "Sloan, next time you touch my ass, I'll break your scalpel hand," she told him as she jogged into the dugout just behind him. On the bench, Tim and Alex sat up straighter.

The Plastic surgeon was taller than either of them (even if it was close with Tim) but he still stepped back with both hands up, letting Callie cross in between him and the other two men. "My bad! No harm done! Call off your dogs!"

Rolling her eyes, Callie exchanged her glove for a beer. "Down dogs," she said, exchanging smirks with Timothy and Karev. It really was sweet how loyal they were to Arizona. No more loyal than she was herself, though. She found another beer in the icy cooler and she slipped out the other gate of the dugout, wanting to get to the stands without cutting through the game.

Arizona was back on the bleachers and looking adorable in her hat. She looked over when Callie flopped onto the bleacher beside her, though the smile didn't quite meet her eyes. "Here, I got you a beer." She offered the longneck.

Arizona thanked her quietly, picking at the label after her first sip. "That was a good catch," she finally said, eyes focusing on her drink.

"Arizona, I know you saw Sloan smack my butt, but we're playing a game and he doesn't mean anything by it, and I already told him to stop or I'll break his hand," Callie said, leaning over to try and catch blue eyes. "What?" she questioned when she couldn't quite manage it. "Honey, what?"

"You guys are friends now…"

Confused, Callie nodded, her shoulders bobbing as she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I mean we're work friends at least. Why?"

The blonde sighed, still picking at her beer. "It's just all different from when I left and we barely knew him except for having seen his naked ass an unfortunate number of times…"

Blinking in realization, Callie curled an arm around her wife's shoulders, hand pulling her head in so she could kiss the side of her face. "It was three months, babe. And Sloan's a lot of fun if he knows he has no chance to sleep with you. He was in the bar a few times when the boys dragged me out. We drank a little, danced a few times." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "He's not as much fun to dance with as you are," she teased lightly. "And he's just a work friend. He's not my best friend. That's you." She paused to catch Arizona's smile, Owen calling her name from the dugout for her turn in the batting order. "Or possibly Tim," she added, standing up quickly.

Arizona still managed to catch her butt with a quick slap. "You better run!" she called after her with a laugh while Callie sent her a smoldering look over her shoulder.

Relaxing on the bench, Arizona trained her eyes on Callie as she lined up her batting stance and lifted her bat. She really couldn't blame anyone for noticing how stunningly gorgeous Calliope was. And she'd been away for months, Callie had her own life to live in that time. But she trusted Callie implicitly. If Callie said there was nothing to worry about with Mark Sloan, there was nothing to worry about with Mark Sloan. And if there ever _had_ been anything to worry about with the almost startlingly good-looking Plastic surgeon, Callie would have put a stop to it before anything happened. And Tim would have beat that guy to a pulp, she reminded herself with a small smile. She had the best brother ever, watching out for her wife like that.

Callie was patient on the plate, waiting for her pitch instead of swinging at anything that flew at her. Her first swing was just a bouncing graze that skipped over the foul line yards in front of first base for her second strike. Resettling her stance, Callie took the next pitch for her second ball.

Alex was on first and he bent his knees, ready to run. "Come on, Torres! Do it!" he yelled, clapping his hands in encouragement. They were down two runs, but it was still early.

The next pitch was perfect and Callie connected, rocketing the ball over the shortstop's head and into centerfield. She dropped her bat and took off around the bases after Alex. Thinking better of making it a double, Callie scrambled back to first base while Alex touched third.

Arizona cheered wildly for them both, standing up and clapping while Derek Shepherd went up to bat. His first swing sent the ball flying toward the outside wall, the unprepared outfielder chasing after it while the Seattle Grace crowd on the bench shouted eagerly.

Alex crossed the plate as Callie was touching second, the Chief at third as coach to wave her ahead. The ball reached the third baseman just as she tied the game. Then the ball was flying from the frustrated defender at the back of her head and the Seattle Grace bench cleared in a heartbeat, both teams confronting each other all over the field.

Letting herself onto the field, Arizona shoved her way through the ruckus in the direction of the plate where she'd last seen Callie. Tim was with her, as well as Mark Sloan, all three kneeling in the dirt while the surgeon checked the back of Callie's head.

"Is she okay?" asked Arizona anxiously, completely ignoring the chaos that had become the rest of the softball game.

"You're not bleeding, but you're going to have a knot," he assessed. "They really beaned you there, Torres."

Callie groaned, rubbing the back of her head gingerly. "I can feel it," she agreed, hissing as she unintentionally put too much pressure on her injury.

Mark shifted in front of her, holding one finger up. "How many?'

"One," she answered with another groan, holding her hand out. "Let me up." Tim and Mark got her back on her feet, Callie grimacing sheepishly when she noticed Arizona standing there. "Oh, hey…" she said dumbly.

"Hey," Arizona echoed her incredulously. "Are you okay? Headache? Lightheaded? Nauseous?" Ignoring the men, she got closer, watching Callie's eyes as she rattled off her list.

The questioning made Callie laugh. "There are too many doctors here. And it just happened, babe. It mostly just aches." One hand reached out to her, drawing the blonde under her arm. "I guess that's the game, maybe?" she suggested with a laugh.

"It is for you," confirmed Arizona. "You should sit down."

Chief Webber jogged up to check on her, informing the two men that the game would continue. But he agreed with Arizona that Callie needed to sit out a few innings at the least, nodding the women into the dugout. Taking her seat and her beer back, Callie didn't want to admit that it was a relief to sit down. Her head was throbbing.

It was cute watching Arizona jump and cheer for their team, though. It was so good to have her home. When she came back to the bench to sit down, she gave Callie a smile. "How's your head?"

"I'm fine," she answered, returning the smile. "You know, you told me that you don't like watching sports. But you seem like you're having a pretty good time."

"I am," Arizona agreed, stealing a sip from her wife's beer, her own abandoned on the bleachers. "I'm sorry you got knocked in the head." She looped an arm through Callie's and laced their fingers. "But you look really hot in that uniform. And all the running around and getting sweaty… I may have spoken too soon about sports," she declared.

Arching an eyebrow and smirking, Callie laughed. "You know, we could always use more players. You could play right field," Arizona made a face, "Out near me." Her expression went more eager immediately.

"We'll see," she hedged. "I'm really, very terrible at softball." She jumped back up to cheer as Tim went up to bat, dragging Callie to the fence with her. They both screamed as he smacked it right out of the park, pausing to point to Callie before he and Derek jogged the bases slowly, deliberately taking their time to annoy the other team.

Laughing, Callie returned to the bench. She was grateful for the revenge homeruns, but the cheering hadn't helped her headache. She had a feeling Arizona might object to her washing down aspirin with beer though, and she rooted through the cooler for a bottle of water.

"You guys are close," observed Arizona as she took her seat beside her. That was new too. Not that they hadn't always been friendly. But this was something else that had changed while she was gone.

Callie nodded, slinging an arm around her partner's shoulders. "Yeah, we are. Tim's the best brother in the world, you know? And we both missed you like crazy." Arizona looked over to give her an almost shy smile. "We bonded. And he made sure I wasn't moping around like a pathetic loser all the time."

"Calliope…"

She leaned in to kiss her quickly, cutting her off. "Arizona, I know a lot of stuff has changed from before you left. And I can tell that it's bugging you," the blonde sighed, "The softball, and hanging out with Mark, being friends with Tim… But there's a few things that aren't ever going to change. You're the person I tell everything to, Arizona. You're the only person I _want_ to know everything. And you're the person I love more than anything in the world. Okay?"

Feeling comforted, Arizona leaned her head over onto Callie's shoulder. "I don't know why I'm being such a freak. I think it all just kind of hit me, how much I missed being away for so long."

"Well, I missed a lot too," Callie reminded her. "I mean, you were in _Africa_!"

"Yeah, but I told you all about it."

"Do you think there's something I haven't told you? I was missing you, I worked all the time, occasionally the boys would drag me out for a night at the bar, Joe loves you and gave us the first round free every time, Tim and I play softball," she ran down the list. "It's pathetic to admit, but that's what I've been doing the last three months."

Arizona picked up her wife's hand, playing with her fingers idly. "I guess I just wish I hadn't had to miss it."

Callie scoffed lightly, smiling to herself. "You didn't miss much, babe. I promise. You've been home two weeks and it's already gotten more interesting."

"Yeah?" asked Arizona curiously, perking up.

"Well, yeah! I mean, we're working cases together again, and _finally_ having regular sex again, eating lunch together… But Joe loves you, so we're still getting free drinks, so that's good," she mused, lightly teasing, and kissed the top of her head as she curled her in closer.

Arizona smiled into Callie's shoulder. She had an idea that would make their lives even more interesting. "As interesting as _lunch_ is, I think I can shake things up a little bit more," she proposed.

Callie just grinned. "I notice you didn't comment on the regular sex…"

"Because that's actually an exciting change!" Arizona countered with a laugh.

"Okay, then what's your idea to turn our life upside down?"

"Let's have a baby," the blonde said simply. "Let's not wait, because we're surgeons and there's never going to be a great time. We want this. Let's do it." Callie's stupefied silence was quickly drowned out by cheers from the game they were no longer watching.


	56. Interlude:Dreams Don't Turn to Dust

"Can we go to Disney Land?" Callie couldn't help laughing at the excitement in her partner's voice. She was married to the perfect woman. There was no doubt about it.

"I don't think Addison lives near Disney, babe," she reminded her, sneaking a glance at the dazzling smile leaving deep dimples in Arizona's cheeks.

The blonde just scoffed, practically skipping down the sidewalk toward the taxi stand, their luggage rolling and bouncing along behind her. "I didn't mean _this_ time, Calliope. We should go to Disney Land! It would be fun!" She sent her a look over her shoulder and her smile went sweeter, softer somehow. "We could take the kids."

Callie knew it was coming before it happened, her heart skipping a beat the same way it did every time Arizona mentioned children. She hadn't pushed, hadn't even mentioned it since Arizona's startling announcement that not only was she open to the possibility, she didn't want to wait to do it either. Callie believed her when she said it, but still wanted to give her every chance to change her mind. Because she wouldn't lose her wife, not for anything. There could be no regrets here. So she was going to let Arizona set the pace of whatever came next.

The simple possibility set her on fire though, and it hadn't escaped her notice that they were in California to visit Addison on their first paired days off in weeks. Arizona claimed they were just taking a chance to be out of Seattle, taking Addison up on her offer of a place to stay when they visited at the same time. But Addison's work at a fertility clinic hadn't been far from her mind since they'd boarded their flight this morning.

"Alright," Callie agreed softly. "Next time we're in California, we'll go to Disney Land, okay?" Arizona took a sweet kiss and Callie couldn't resist slipping an arm around her. "It will be fun." Kids or no kids, she had no doubt that Arizona at a theme park would be a treat in itself to experience.

The taxi pulled up to the curb and Arizona slipped out of her grasp to get the door for her, bobbing her eyebrows playfully as Callie rolled her eyes. "What? I would hold the door for you in Seattle," the blonde reasoned, grinning happily at her wife.

"Why does it feel like you're buttering me up for something?" Callie questioned, teasing her lightly.

Arizona laughed as she slid into the car behind her, their driver putting their suitcase in the trunk for them. "Oh, Calliope, I would be _happy_ to butter you up," she promised, enjoying the bright blush that spread across Callie's cheeks. "Or flavored body paint, maybe…" she kept going, Callie quickly covering her mouth with one hand as the driver returned to his seat.

Blue eyes just twinkled at her over her hand and Callie could feel her heart swell. She was in love with the most amazing woman in the world. Her touch slipped down Arizona's jaw and down the line of her neck, finding the top of her shirt and pulling her into another soft, slow kiss. "I'm in love with you," she whispered as they pulled apart, their driver clearing his throat lightly.

"I love you too." Arizona gave him an unselfconscious smile in the mirror and Addison's address before leaning back into her seat and buckling her seatbelt. Callie went to her own seat but put a hand on her leg, rubbing her knee absently as she watched the traffic through the window.

Addison had left a key hidden for them and they let themselves in, Callie looking around while Arizona hauled their bag in. "Wow, this is nice. You were right, babe." She laughed. "And it's so quiet!" Their own house was never quiet.

Frowning, Arizona watched her quietly for a moment. Callie had never commented on their living arrangements, but the way she'd lived as a single woman had been established long before she'd ever met Callie and her lover had just kind of made a place for herself in her house the same way she'd taken up residency in her life. And she'd loved living with Alex, and Tim when he'd come to Seattle, but she was married to Callie. And if Callie wasn't happy… "Calliope, do you like living together?"

It was an inane, insane question and the brunette sent her a look over her shoulder. "Of course I do! And we're sure as hell not living apart," she declared resolutely, laughing. After three months apart, the last thing she needed was space from her wife. She didn't care where they lived or how many people kept jamming themselves into their house as long as Arizona was the one she had her arms wrapped around at night.

"Not living together with me!" Arizona corrected herself hastily. "You're stuck with me on that, Calliope! I meant living together, us and the boys. I mean, Tim's barely home anymore since he got back on his feet and uses his mobility to screw Teddy, but then I was gone and I know he was around more with you. And Alex has just always kind of been there, but then you were there and you moved in and he's still there, but we're married and it's your house too, Calliope, and if you're not okay with anything, if you're not happy…"

Callie's brows were furrowed as she turned to face her, confusion in every feature of her face. "Arizona, I have never been so happy in my life as I am now, with you. And, yeah, it's unconventional, but the guys are family. If you want them there, they can stay."

"It's like a frat house, though!" Arizona countered. "And I love them, you know I do, but I'm married to _you_. It's you I want to come home to, not my brother and my fellowship student!" Gathering steam, she continued, "And do you realize that we've been together for years, and we've been married for eight months and we've never lived alone together?" she questioned, starting to talk more quickly unconsciously. "Alex has always been there, and then Tim was there, and he needed your help and he needed a place to stay, so of course we're going to help him, but Calliope, I want to live with just _you_! I want to be able to come home and know that you're the only one waiting on me. And maybe it's selfish, but I don't want to share you! Any part of you, even the cooking parts, I just want them to be for me! And when we have a baby, we'll have a baby, and you're going to be the best mother in the world, and I want that, really, I do, but until I'm sharing you with our baby, I don't want to share you!"

Wide brown eyes were the first sign that she'd kind of gone off, and Arizona's mouth dropped open again. "No, wait," Callie interjected gently, moving toward her. She found Arizona's hands without looking away from her face. "You said your bit. I get to talk now. Honey, you're my wife. And no matter what, for the rest of our life, wherever you are, I will be there," she promised, squeezing her fingers lightly. Arizona's breath escaped in a puff and she smiled shyly, Callie's loving smile reassuring. No matter how crazy she got, Callie loved her. "And I understand why the boys live with us, and I've never felt like a guest at the house expect for maybe that first night I came over after work and was so exhausted and we almost fell asleep on the couch. You remember?"

She did remember. "You slept in my bed that night."

"I did," Callie confirmed, still smiling. "That bed's ours now. And that house is _our _home. And if you want it to be just for us, we'll talk to the guys, okay? But they don't have to go because you think I'm unhappy with the way things are. That's not true. I love our life, Arizona. But Tim's our brother, he's not going anywhere, and Alex might be actually homeless, living on the street, if he didn't know you, so I doubt he'll go far," she teased lightly, loving the answering smile she got from Arizona. She lived to make her smile like that. "But I don't hate the idea of living alone with you. Living alone with you would be… awesome," she decided, choosing the word very deliberately.

"So you want to give it a try, maybe?" Arizona checked hopefully. "Living together… alone?"

Callie hooked both arms around her hips, pulling the blonde firmly against her body. "Yes," she said slowly. "I would love to live alone with you, Arizona. We'll talk to the boys when we get home, alright?" Arizona rose up on her toes to kiss her instead of answering, her fingers sliding through dark hair. "You kind of really went off there," Callie noted between slow kisses, chuckling against her mouth. "Got anything else you want to get off your chest, sweetheart?"

They were both surprised by the next words out of Arizona's mouth. "I don't want you to have a baby with Tim."

Slowly letting her go, Callie took a half step back from her, needing to see her wife's eyes. "What? I would _never_… He's my brother too, Arizona."

"I know that," the blonde gasped, disbelieving herself that she'd actually said it. "I know you would never and he would never, and nothing would ever… It's not that. I just meant, I know that _we_ can't make a baby, but he offered, and it's just such a Tim thing to do, and he'd do anything for us, I know that, but I can't raise his baby. It's not fair to him, and it's not fair when I know it's always going to be you and some guy's baby…"

"Hey!" Callie barked sharply to cut her off, hands holding her face suddenly so that their eyes locked. "You don't _ever_ say that again," she ordered, voice deadly serious. "Arizona, we will do this however you want, but no matter what, any baby that I ever have is _yours_. And I won't let you or anyone else say any different, do you understand me?" It took her a second, but Arizona nodded meekly. "And if you don't want to use Tim as the donor, then we won't use Tim. It's that simple, okay? You just tell me what you want and we'll do it."

Arizona didn't say anything for another moment, Callie's little nod prompting her to speak, "I want our baby, Calliope. And I wish I could give you our baby, because I can see their little face in my head when I'm asleep, or even at work sometimes, I see their face and I want them to be real. And no matter how we get them, they're going to be perfect. Because they're going to have you and me."

Callie blinked and there were tears clouding her vision. Arizona Robbins was perfect. And them together, they made each other better. And Arizona would love their baby, already cared so much. "So we won't use Tim. I can still have a Robbins baby though." Arizona's realization was beautiful as it dawned on her face, mouth dropping open again. "I just want your baby, Arizona," Callie promised in a whisper. "If you want a donor and me, we'll do that. If you want a donor and you, I'm over the moon for that too. If you don't want any donors, we can adopt. Anything you want, we will do it. As long as we're doing it together, I will do anything for you."

"I'm really saying a lot of stuff today, aren't I?" Arizona breathed in realization, Callie's hands on her shoulders sliding down her arms and rubbing lightly. "Whew," she sighed. "Calliope…"

"Let's just talk it through," Callie coaxed gently, taking her hand and leading her toward Addison's soft leather couch. She took a seat at one end and Arizona curled up on the other end, sitting with her back against the armrest so she could face Callie fully. There was space between them but Callie knew that was how Arizona coped with things. It might take her a minute or two, but she'd relax once they started talking. Until then it was better to let her withdraw just a little. "You said you don't want to use Tim because it's not fair to him. What did you mean by that?" Callie prompted.

The blonde sighed deeply, her knees drawn up to her chest. "It's just not fair. Because he's going to be a great dad someday. And I can't take that away from him. And I know he wants to help us," Callie nodded when she paused, "but it's not fair to ask him to be the cool uncle when he's got such a big heart. I can't watch it break every time our baby falls and gets hurt and runs to me instead of to him. He's done everything for me and I know he'd do more, but I can't ask for that from him. I can't take being the father away from him. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does, sweetheart. And I understand. Tim will be an amazing father someday," Callie agreed, smiling sweetly. "And our kids will be almost as lucky as his will. Ours will have Uncle Tim, but his will have Aunt Arizona."

The blonde laughed, smile coming more naturally. "And Aunt Calliope."

"Aunt Callie is fine," Callie corrected her lightly. "I kind of like that you're the only one who calls me that." Arizona's knees relaxed and one foot slid forward, just a few inches closer to Callie's legs.

"Ooh, Tia Callie, then?" Arizona suggested, a genuine laugh following her attempt at a Spanish pronunciation.

Callie confirmed, "Exactly." She nudged the blonde's foot with one hand. "And I hate to break it to you, babe, but I'm totally going to be their favorite aunt."

"Oh, yeah _right_, Calliope!" countered Arizona, foot shooting out to poke Callie's thigh, the Latina catching it and pulling her foot into her lap. "I'm so going to be the favorite!" The other leg tucked itself under her now extended left leg, Arizona's posture starting to relax so gradually she didn't even realize it.

Callie just smiled. "Okay, so that's decided," she said, gently steering them back to the topic. She traced the blonde's features with her eyes, searching for something. "You're not comfortable with any of this yet," she stated softly, shaking her head. "That's okay. I'm not really, either. But no matter how we do this, any baby that is here," she trailed one hand across her middle, "it is _yours_. Do you understand me?" Arizona nodded, knowing better than to argue that point. "Would it make it easier if it was yours genetically?"

"Calliope, I can't ask…"

"You're not asking me for anything I won't do for you," Callie cut her off, her voice soft. "You _can't_ ask me for something I won't do for you because there's nothing that qualifies. I will do _anything_ for you, Arizona. And if using part of you to make our baby will help you, then that's what we'll do," she declared. She smile grew slowly. "I would love that, actually. There needs to be more of Arizona Robbins in the world."

Arizona didn't speak for a long moment and Callie started to feel nervous, like she'd overstepped some boundary. Arizona had been nothing but full speed ahead since she'd made her change of heart decision, but maybe suggesting that they use her eggs to make a baby was too much? Maybe this was all too much? Was this the moment that she'd been dreading and anticipating? Had Arizona retreated back behind the line again? Was their child fated to exist only in the imagination?

"Come here," whispered Arizona, breaking the quiet that had fallen over them. Callie complied without speaking, crawling forward and letting Arizona wrap her arms around her. "I am _so_ in love with you," she said, her voice still soft and quiet.

Callie's answering smile stole her breath from her chest. "Good, because I want to have your baby." Reassured now, she half expected Arizona to push her up from the couch and rush them back out the door and to Addison's clinic. Instead she just gathered her closer, sighing softly when Callie rested her head gently against her shoulder. "Am I smooshing you?"

"You're perfect," Arizona denied immediately, stroking her hair and letting her eyes close. She could stay like this forever. "Stay," she whispered.

Breathing deep, Callie settled more comfortably against her side. "You've been _really_ eager about all this," she observed, slipping one hand under the edge of Arizona's top to stroke her skin softly.

"And you've been kind of skittish," countered Arizona. "What's up with that? If you don't want…"

"Stop it," Callie cut her off, pinching her side for good measure. "I want a baby with you. I just never expected you to come around, you know? And I would never push you - not ever and not about something so important. And I want a life with you more than anything else. So I put wanting a kid out of my mind a long time ago. Because it wasn't what you wanted. And I want you."

"So you're waiting for me to change my mind back?" Arizona interpreted, combing her fingers through dark hair.

"But you've been so…_hyper_ about it."

Arizona smiled against her hair. "Yeah, I guess I have. Because I'm not going to change my mind. And I was raised by the Colonel. He taught us to fight for what we want. And when I want something, I don't quit."

Callie chuckled. "I know that's true." Burrowing her face into the blonde's neck, she nuzzled her nose against the skin.

"So I'm not quitting on this. But if you want to wait…"

"I want your baby," countered Callie, kissing her neck lightly. "Now, or next year, or in five years…"

And she expected Arizona to bombard poor Addison as soon as she came through the door, but she didn't, just sat up and stretched, giving her a peaceful, drowsy smile that made Callie burn to kiss her. So she did, soft and slow, pulling away only when Addison cleared her throat from the doorway.

"Hey Addie," Arizona spoke up, grinning at her friend. "Thanks for letting us stay this weekend."

The redhead glanced around her living room, apparently searching for something. "Yeah, sure… You didn't have sex on my couch, did you?" she blurted, blushing.

Arizona laughed out loud, looking sideways at Callie. "Because you've never had sex in _our_ house?" she countered. "It would serve you right if we had, but we didn't."

"Well, how about dinner? Have you eaten yet? My treat!" The Neonatal surgeon was bright red, shifting her weight uncomfortably between her feet.

"That would be great, Addison. Thank you," Callie cut in before Arizona could tease her friend further.

Standing up, Arizona took Callie's hand and patted her friend's shoulder as they passed her on the way to the door. "The thing about us not having sex in your house?" she said over her shoulder, Callie already closing her eyes in anticipation of the rest. "That won't be true after tonight," Arizona warned Addison cheerfully, whooping when Callie slapped her ass in rebuke. "Fuel for the fire, baby!"

Addison was still blushing as she turned to follow them out. "You've created a monster, Callie."


	57. Chapter 47

Callie was just finishing up a CT on a patient when her grinning, clearly overeager wife appeared in the doorway of the imaging chamber. She smiled knowingly at her monitor, not looking sideways at Arizona. "Did you borrow something from the lab, Dr. Robbins?"

"Yes, Calliope, I did," she answered cheerfully. Plan in place and decisions made, it had been four months since they'd begun the process of knocking Callie up. The first three had passed uneventfully, the women attempting to keep themselves from stressing out about it by not even checking a pregnancy test until Callie showed some symptom of pregnancy. So the first three months they hadn't even stolen a test from the clinic (though Arizona had come closer than she wanted to admit a few times, giving up each time when she couldn't figure out a way to make Callie use the test without her knowledge), but now, after two days of Callie being woken up by nausea, they'd decided to run a blood test.

They were supposed to look at the results together, though. Which is why Arizona was trailing Callie's case and clinging to the manila envelope she'd gotten from the lab.

"Were they even supposed to give you that?" Callie asked teasingly. "You're not my doctor…"

"No, I am not! I'm better!" Arizona declared. "I'm your _wife_! And I'm not letting some idiot lab tech keep your test results away from me!"

"You forged my signature, didn't you?" asked Callie knowingly, chuckling. "He's clear," she said of her patient. "Get him up to a room and get a resident in to put a cast on the entire leg," she ordered. This guy was in for a long recovery, but he would be fine and she had something more important to do right now.

Arizona was hopping on her toes. "Yes! I could be 'Dr. Torres' if we'd taken each other's names after the wedding!" she rationalized. "Are you going to report me? Or can we go look at this?"

Callie grinned and Arizona leaned into the wall, overdramatically swooning. She loved that smile. "Let's do it," said Callie, offering her hand as she stood up from the monitors and letting Arizona pull her along into the locker room. "We're going to find out if we're having a baby in the locker room?"

Arizona huffed, impatient and frustrated with waiting. "Calliope!" she whined, catching her wife's smirk and resisting an impulse to stomp her foot.

Abruptly, Callie's pager rang a 911, Arizona's echoing it a second later. "Locker room now, or wait until we get home?" Callie stated their options quickly, reading the display of her pager. "Big trauma. I've got to go out to the scene."

Frowning, the blonde considered. "I want to know," she decided.

"Even if potentially we don't have time to celebrate?" Callie reminded her, willing to do it however Arizona wanted to.

"Yes." Arizona decisively slid a finger under the seal, Callie behind her shoulder to read with her. "You ready?" Callie laced her fingers through Arizona's free hand, other hand reaching over her to pull the sheet up to reveal the results they needed.

Staring at the raised hormone level Arizona couldn't speak, just listened to her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "Oh my God," Callie whispered, turning her face into her wife's neck and kissing the first skin she found. "I love you, Arizona." Another kiss, her lips dragging against her ear. "I'm having your baby," she whispered, wrapping their joined hands around the blonde's waist.

Arizona's free hand was trembling as she reached back in between them to touch Callie's stomach where her child was growing every minute. "Oh my God," she echoed breathlessly.

Callie couldn't stop kissing her neck, her cheek, her ear - short, quick pecks against any skin she could find. "Are you okay? You happy?" she checked, sheer will keeping her voice steady. Arizona had been nothing but eager and supportive since they'd started this, but she still had thirty years of history of _not_ wanting children. Callie couldn't help being nervous. This was her dream come true, everything she'd ever wanted, but wanting this was new for Arizona. And she hoped not _too_ terrifying.

The question drew Arizona around in her arms, hand finding its place on Callie's abdomen again, feeling something almost primal and protective. This was where _her_ child was living. And this was _her_ woman. "Calliope, I am _so, __**so**_ happy," Arizona breathed, rising on her toes to kiss her slowly. She didn't know what would have been worse - not to know all day, or now that they knew, having no time to celebrate. Because she wanted to strip off Callie's clothes and cover her entire body in kisses. But they had to work. There would be no naked time for at least a few hours.

Callie's pager chimed again and they drew back reluctantly, Arizona keeping her hand in its new favorite place covering their child. "I gotta go, babe."

Arizona just whined in protest. "I love you," she said, swallowing hard. "Come back quick, okay? I want to go home and get you naked," she said candidly.

Swallowing hard, Callie nodded. "Deal," she hoarsely ground out as her hand joined Arizona's on her belly. She couldn't drag herself away just yet. "Kiss me again."

Arizona obeyed without a second of hesitation, capturing her wife's lips firmly, their tongues languidly dueling. Another beep from Callie's hip broke them up, both breathless. "Love you," Arizona said again. "Love you _so_ much, Calliope."

Her name from Arizona's lips sent a quiver through her. "Me too."

Another quick kiss. "Go. Go or I'm not going to let you."

Callie laughed and retreated from the locker room, brushing her own hand across her stomach while she jogged toward the elevators. Owen was waiting for her at the ER doors, handing a trauma kit off to her and a hard case she knew contained various blades for amputation. "A road collapsed. You've been requested for an onsite amputation at the sinkhole," he informed her, giving her a hand up into the back crowded with residents and supplies, and scrambling into the ambulance behind her. "We'll get details at the scene."

The sinkhole was chaos, the ambulance emptying as soon as the doors were opened. An emergency tech waved them over, calling Callie's name. "Dr. Torres and Dr. Hunt from Seattle Grace," she confirmed, leading Owen in that direction. "What've we got?"

"A car fell into the hole and pinned a woman," she said, gesturing to the monitors that were already set up under the tent, the camera suspended over the stuck woman and her clearly terrified husband. "He could come out, but he won't leave her down there alone."

Callie could understand that. She wouldn't leave Arizona in some hole pinned under a car. "Okay, get me down there," she said, shrugging the strap of her bag across her chest and reaching for her case from Owen.

"Oh, Dr. Torres, no," their guide said uncertainly. "It's unstable."

She blinked at her, exchanging looks with Owen. "So what do you want me to do? I'm supposed to do an amputation."

"You need to talk _him_ through it," she said, looking at the monitors again. The trapped man was shouting for help.

Callie shook her head in instant denial. "No. He cannot do this. You can't ask him to cut off his wife's leg. Do whatever it takes to get me down there and bring him up. Owen, you got him?"

"Torres, are you sure about this?"

"I'm Ortho, you're Trauma," she reminded him, waving over someone who could get her into a harness and lines. "He's in shock and she needs her leg cut off. We know our jobs, Dr. Hunt." She smiled reassuringly. "It'll be okay, Owen."

He nodded, brows furrowed. "Be careful down there," he said gruffly. "If anything happens, you get her out of there," he ordered the man who was securing Callie into the carabineers. His military history was clear in his voice. Owen Hunt was not a man to be disobeyed.

"Yes sir."

Lowering into the hole, Callie could hear Owen's reassurance in her ear through the headset they'd given her, the scared man below her quieting down to whimpers and whispers to his wife. "Hey, it's okay. We're going to get you out of here," she offered, touching down lightly and quickly unloading her gear.

"She's going to lose her leg, isn't she? The lady up there said -"

"She's going to keep her life," Callie answered diplomatically. "But we've got to get you both out of here."

He brushed hair back from his unconscious wife's face, clearly distraught. Callie didn't even want to imagine what he was feeling. "We were fighting," he confessed. And no matter that the road collapse had been a fluke disaster, he was bound to be blaming himself that his wife was now trapped under a car.

"Sir, I'm here to help, but we've got to get you up out of this hole. Dr. Hunt is going to take care of you," Callie said, helping the unresisting man to his feet, fastening his harness into the lines like they had showed her on the surface. "He's coming up. Owen, it's yours," she said into the headset, leaning her head back to look up as he was pulled up toward the surface.

"Callie, you need to hurry," Hunt's voice came back in her ear, broken up by static. "They're not sure how much longer it's going to hold."

She set to work, struggling to balance speed and minimizing infection. It was a delicate dance in the depths of the pit. Too much exposure would kill this woman no matter what Callie could do. But too much time and neither one of them would get out. Getting the leg free, she got her patient onto the backboard and strapped her in, following the directions in her ears to get the gurney ready to hoist.

The injured woman was lifted out of the hole on the last set of cables, Callie collecting her gear while she waited for her own lift to come down. The sudden rumble was echoed on her headset before the line went dead. The car dropped onto its nose and slid sideways, crashing onto its driver's side as the earth shifted under it. The noise was overwhelming, tearing metal and crashing rock, a rush of water coming from somewhere to soak her shoes, the level steadying at her ankles. Callie kept her feet somehow, hanging onto the rock wall, but the light from above her was cut off abruptly.

When it seemed stable and still again she knelt in the dark, putting her case down in the shallow water to search for the flashlight she knew was packed in there. Before she found it she found the sharp edge of one of her cutting blades, hissing as it sliced into her palm. Shit. That was _almost_ the last thing she needed.

The realization hit her suddenly, making her heart freeze and her blood run cold. She wasn't alone down here. She was carrying another person inside her body. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

And Arizona. She surely knew about the sinkhole by now. Was probably wrist-deep inside an injured child, saving a life. But Arizona was going to notice sooner rather than later that she hadn't returned from the scene yet. Or she'd hear about the doctor from Seattle Grace that had been buried in the hole, possibly see her picture on the news in the lobby or the waiting room while she went to inform anxious parents about their child's outcome.

But she wouldn't know what was happening with her own wife, her own child. God damn it, she had to get out of this hole. And _now_.

Finding the light, she snapped it on, searching her surroundings for a moment. The camera they'd been using to monitor the trapped patients was pinned by the wires between two rocks but appeared intact. She had no way of knowing if they could see her, though. Just in case, she waved the light back and forth across the lens. They'd never spot her in the dark, but hopefully they could see the light.

Tucking the flashlight under her chin, she searched one handed through her bag for gauze. She taped the pad into place on her hand after making sure it was relatively clear of debris. It was probably going to need a stitch or two though. And Arizona was going to kill her. Shit.

Sure it was futile, she dug her phone out of her pocket. No service under the ground, of course. She tucked it back in her pocket and searched more meticulously with the flashlight for anything that might help her. She left the medical bags wedged on a rock to walk the perimeter of her underground prison. The car was a solid barrier on one side, rock on the other, but the water level wasn't rising, which she hoped was a good sign. She might suffocate, but that would take hours, maybe days, and she wouldn't drown in the meantime.

Curious, Callie clicked the flashlight off, trying to see if there was any ambient light. It took her eyes a few long moments to adjust but there was some dim light near a crack in the collapsed ceiling. The flashlight revealed the underside of roadway asphalt. Unable to think of anything else to do, she shuffled cautiously in that direction, stumbling on debris she couldn't see under the water. Climbing as high as she could, she fumbled her phone out first, groaning when she still had no signal. The rock scraped against her forehead as she slumped into it, catching her breath and trying to fight off despair. She'd found out she was pregnant today. And she hadn't even gotten to celebrate it properly. It was so unbelievably not fair.

The crackle of static from the headset in her ear made her heart rate triple, Callie picking up her head as she heard the broken voice of Owen. "Hunt! Hunt, can you hear me?" she called back, wrapping her injured arm around the nearest rock to flash the light at the camera again.

"I see you, Callie," came through in bursts. "We're coming. Are you hurt? Can you move?"

"Nothing serious, I can move," she said, heart clenching as she remembered the reality again. "Wait, Owen…" She wasn't seriously hurt, but that could change in a heartbeat. And she wasn't looking out for just herself. "I'm, uh, I - I'm pregnant," she said, choking up. Even when she and Arizona had looked at the test results, neither one of them had said the word. She was pregnant. Holy shit.

There was a fresh burst of static in her ear. "You're wha-? Say again, Torres…"

"Pregnant," she repeated herself. "I'm pregnant."

"We're coming for you," he said after a moment of silent consideration, voice firm and steady. "Does Robbins - does she know?"

Callie sighed, almost tempted to roll her eyes. "Of course. We just found out today."

Owen echoed her sigh. "So if I just got off the phone with her…?"

Hearing the rocks above her shift, Callie ducked and squeezed both eyes closed. Oh no. Owen had told her wife that she was in a hole, but not that he knew she was _alive _in the hole. Damn it. She knew he meant well, but that wasn't the best thing Arizona could have heard at the moment. Her imagination would be killing her with possibilities, each one worse than the one before. "Call her back," she pleaded hoarsely, her words drowned out by static as the rescue team moved more rock directly above her. "Owen, call her back. Tell her I'm alive. We're okay."

There was no more contact from the surface and it took another six hours before they reached her level, the Search and Rescue team clearing just enough of the ceiling to free her and bring them back out, the passage to the surface a tight tunnel. Reaching the top, she was more scraped and cut by the journey up than she had been by the initial collapse. Sweating, dirty, and exhausted, her tired eyes searched for familiar faces under the spotlights set along the edge of the hole as night fell. It was drizzling and the cool rain felt amazing on her hot skin.

Owen reached her first, wrapping her up in a blanket that she gently pushed away. "We've got to check you out," he reminded her.

She gamely climbed unsteadily into the back of an ambulance. "Fine. Do it on the way to Arizona. Did you talk to her? Did you tell her I'm okay?"

"I tried but she had to go back in on a surgery… The hospital has been swamped."

"Did other people get trapped besides me?" she asked with a concerned frown. She couldn't stay at the scene and help, though. She was too drained to cut on anyone else, too exhausted, and too scared to death imagining what Arizona was going through.

Owen grimaced. "A few more casualties, yeah."

Brown eyes blinked at him. "Did anyone else make it up after it collapsed again?"

His hands were steady as he carefully peeled the filthy blackened bandage from her hand. "No. Just you."

"What about the woman? Is she?"

"She's at the hospital. She's in rough shape, but she's hanging in there." They were both quiet for a long moment and she swallowed hard, fighting the urge to cry. "This is going to need stitches."

"I figured," she said hoarsely. "I sliced it on a saw blade in the dark when I looked for the flashlight."

"Good work flashing the camera like that," Owen gruffly complemented her. "That's how we knew you weren't crushed."

Callie pushed his hands back gently. She was most likely in shock, but her hand didn't hurt yet. She knew it would. "Would you page Arizona, please, Owen? And OB?"

"And Plastics to make sure there's no nerve damage in that hand," he added aloud to the list, already sliding his phone from his pocket to make the necessary calls.

* * *

><p>Sorry about the time jump for those of you who wanted to see some of the baby making, I just couldn't work out anything that wasn't slow paced or outright boring, so we're jumping ahead some to some action, yay!<p> 


	58. Chapter 48

Arizona ran up just as the ambulance tore into the bay, Callie catching a flash of her pale, tear-streaked face through the window in the door. Anxious to show her that she was okay, Callie attempted to scramble out as soon as the bus stopped, but Owen got there first, offering her a hand down. Fresh tears were already steaming down Arizona's face, her shoulders jerking as she sobbed. It was obvious that she'd been crying for a while. Pained blue eyes drank her in. "Calliope…"

Holding both arms open, Callie took two quick steps toward her, Arizona throwing herself at her. "I'm here, it's okay," she breathed into her hair, wrapping both arms protectively around her while she felt Arizona's fingers gripping the back of her dirty scrubs hard and tight. "I love you, baby."

Arizona jerked back like she'd been stung, looking up into her face, her own expression haunted. "The baby?"

Callie shook her head slowly. "I don't know. I asked Owen to page OB, but it's still early. We might just have to wait…" Arizona whimpered in protest but she knew Callie was right. Right now their baby wasn't visible as anything more than a speck on the ultrasound. There was no way to know if Callie's trauma had made something go wrong. "I wasn't hurt, though," Callie offered hesitantly. If she lost their baby, she didn't know what she was going to do.

Owen rested a light hand on her back. "We need to get you checked out. Sloan is waiting to check your hand and the OB on call is on her way," he said gently, keeping his voice low.

Turning to look at him, Callie nodded. "Thank you. For everything," she said sincerely. "I'm sure there's patients around here that need you more now."

Arizona caught his sleeve, blinking teary eyes at him. "Thank you, Owen. Thank you for bringing her back to me."

The redhead nodded seriously, giving them both a look. "Just let me know if there's anything else you need."

Arizona took over then, guiding Callie's arm around her shoulder and escorting her inside where Mark Sloan was waiting at one of the beds along the wall. "You alright, Torres?" he asked, concerned. Apparently everyone had already heard what had happened judging by the looks the rest of the ER staff was sending their way.

Mark pulled the curtain around the bed while Arizona helped Callie sit, her paranoia and fear driving her toward protective over-caution. "The cut's the worst of it," she answered him, hoping to reassure her wife. "Just tell me I didn't slice any nerves."

He took a seat on the stool beside her, gently taking her hand and studying the slash. It clearly wasn't made by a rock. "How'd this happen?" He cleaned the wound carefully before he prepped for stitches. It was a simple cut, an intern could get good practice, but she was his friend so he sat down to do them himself.

"One of my bone saw blades got me when it went dark," explained Callie simply, not wanting to scare her partner any more than she already was.

"Well, it's deep, but can you make a fist for me?" She complied, wincing as it pulled her cut palm. "And touch each finger to your thumb?" She did it easily and he nodded. "I'll stitch it up and we'll dose you with some serious antibiotics, but you should be fine."

"I'll write the scrip," Arizona said quickly. Callie couldn't take certain things now, not that she wanted to have to explain that to Mark Sloan.

He just looked at her for a second, nodding. "Yeah, thanks. That would be a big help," he conceded, giving her control of something simple when she clearly needed it.

They both looked surprised when Arizona suddenly kissed his cheek with a loud smack. "Um…" Reaching out with her good hand, Callie hooked her wife's scrubs and hauled her to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. "Can I get one of those?" she requested, surprised to realize that she hadn't kissed Arizona since this morning.

"Calliope… yes," Arizona whispered, one hand turning Callie's face to hers so she could kiss her softly, pecking lightly at her lips as if she was scared to hurt her. Callie knew she wouldn't get a deeper kiss until the blonde was reassured that she really was okay. "I love you."

"Oh, Arizona, I love you too," echoed Callie, leaning her head onto Arizona's shoulder. She had to stop Mark before he numbed her palm and started his work. "Just do it," she said hoarsely when he blinked at her in surprise. "No drugs."

"Torres, you've already proved how tough you are today," he reminded her, looking between the pair of women. "It's only a few stitches, but this is going to _hurt_."

Arizona sighed, nodding to him. "Do what she says," ordered the blonde, linking their hands against Callie's thigh, fingers rolling the brunette's wedding rings without speaking further. Callie hissed when the needle went in, but Mark was good and did it as quickly as he could.

The stitches went in cleanly, Mark standing up with a friendly nod as he finished his work and left them alone. "Should we go up to OB?" Callie suggested quietly. She'd already told Owen their news, but it was still very early to be telling everyone they worked with. And Owen could be trusted not to spread it around.

Arizona nodded, considering. "Yeah." If they still had any news to share, she wanted to tell her parents, Tim, and Aria first. Standing up, she steadied Callie on her feet, still anxious.

"I'm just tired," Callie promised. "It was a long day."

The blonde whimpered again, couldn't help herself. She could have lost her wife today, the other half of herself. And they still might lose their child. Her gut clenched, couldn't relax until they knew for sure. The ultrasound would help, but they wouldn't know anything for sure without a sure to be agonizing wait.

Callie groaned in dismay as she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror of the exam room, her first glimpse of the dirt covering her hair, her face, her clothes. Her hand was clean only because Mark had sanitized it before he'd put in her stitches. "Shit. I look like crap."

Arizona licked her lips. It didn't matter that Callie was a little dirty, didn't matter that this had been the longest day of her _life._ All that mattered was that her wife was alive. And God forbid, but if they lost this baby, they were both still here to have another one. They would be wrecked, of course, but Callie was safe, hadn't been hurt. "You're beautiful," she said hoarsely, honestly.

Callie sent her a tired smile and climbed onto the exam table, sighing in relief. She'd been on her feet for longer in the OR than she had been in the cave in, but she hadn't been so scared or emotionally drained by a surgery as she had been by today. And she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to take a shower (preferably with Arizona) and crawl into bed (definitely with Arizona) and sleep for the next ten hours. The Chief would just have to give her the morning off.

Arizona held her hand while the OB, Dr. Lucy Fields, a young fellowship doctor who'd been recommended by Addison, prepped the ultrasound, guiding the wand across Callie's lower stomach, searching for the tiny dot that could grow to become their baby. Both of them closed their eyes, Arizona leaning her head against Callie's while she clung to her hand. "There we are," the obstetrician said a few minutes later, stabilizing the image on the screen as both women looked up. The doctor took a moment to search the monitor for any signs of trouble, finally nodding. "There's the sack and the baby," she said, pointing out each to them. "But I'm not seeing any signs of separation. They're hanging in there. The best thing is for you to rest, try and take it easy, relax, and call me if you have any bleeding in the next few days."

Taking an unsteady breath, Arizona spoke first, "So she might be okay?"

Dr. Fields nodded. "It looks like a good possibility," she acknowledged with an encouraging smile. "Just relax. Both of you. Because if you're stressed, it's going to stress out Callie," she said gently. She patted the Latina's free hand lightly. "I heard what happened. I'm glad you're okay, Dr. Torres."

"Thanks," Callie said hoarsely. "Me too."

Their doctor nodded to them both, standing up and leaving them alone. Arizona brushed sweat-stiffened black hair back from her face, pressing a kiss to her temple. Reassured, now her feelings were starting to rise, swell out of her control. "Calliope, I need to talk," she said, speaking before she realized she intended to. "I know we need to be calm, but I have some stuff I need to say. Because I'm _not_ calm, Callie…"

It was rare to hear her shortened name from her partner and it made Callie's back tense. Shit. Arizona had been soothed that she was okay and she was free to be upset now. "Arizona…" she started slowly.

"No, no, please don't," the blonde said, stepping back from the bedside to pace. "Don't say… anything. Not yet. I just - I need to talk, get this out." Dutifully, Callie stayed quiet, just dropped her dirty scrub shirt back over her stomach and sat up to listen. Arizona nodded, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "Today… Today was the best and the worst day of my life, Calliope," she said to start herself off. "We find out that you're pregnant and the only time I've been happier is when we said our vows. But then I see on the news," Callie winced, "that a doctor has been trapped in the sinkhole. But it's not just any doctor, is it, Calliope? It's you. It's my _pregnant __**wife**_!" She was gathering steam now, her volume increasing as her back and forth pace across the room grew quicker. "And then the Chief pulled me aside and confirmed all these bad feelings I had in my stomach, and I just… Callie, I don't know what I would have done…" She couldn't finish the statement, just shaking her head and looking at her even as her body kept moving around the room.

She stopped abruptly, facing Callie, and the raw fear and pain on her face was worse than anything Callie had felt herself. She'd happily have her heart ripped out if it meant Arizona never had to feel pain like this again. "Arizona, sweetheart…"

"Did you even think about me?" the blonde cut her off, her voice hard. "Before you climbed into an unstable _sinkhole_, did you think for one second about me? About what it would do to me if something happened to you?"

"Yes!" Callie yelped into a pause for breath. "Of course I thought about you, Arizona. I don't go five minutes without thinking about you!"

"But you still climbed into a hole in the Earth? Because you thought so much of me?"

"His wife was trapped," she said, trying to remain patient. Screaming at each other when they were really just scared wouldn't help the baby. "He wouldn't leave her. And I couldn't ask him to cut off her leg, so I went." Arizona's face softened as tears started silently. She didn't shake, didn't tremble, just stood and cried, her blue eyes never wavering from Callie's face. "I would never leave you in some hole to die, Arizona," she continued softly, sliding off the edge of the bed and back onto her feet. "I couldn't ask him to do it either."

"But you'd cut off my leg…?" Arizona whispered as Callie moved toward her an inch at a time.

The dark head nodded her agreement. "I would do _anything_ for you. To save your life, I would cut off your leg." She tried a smile hesitantly. "But I'm very good, so I'd do everything to leave you with good stump so you could get a prosthetic," she promised, relieved when it got a glimmer of a smile from Arizona. "And if there wasn't a way to get you out, I wouldn't leave you either. And I couldn't ask that guy today to leave his wife when I know I wouldn't leave mine. Okay? You understand, right?"

Breathing deeply, Arizona nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay," she whispered, relieved when strong arms wrapped around her, providing comfort and support and safety. "You scared me today, Calliope. _Really_ scared me…" Her chin found a spot on Callie's shoulder, closing her eyes as she melted into her. Never having this again would kill her.

"I'm sorry," Callie apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm so sorry."

Nodding against her shoulder, one of Arizona's hands slipped down to cover Callie's stomach, sliding under her gritty top to touch her skin. "It's not just us anymore, Calliope. It's _us_. The three, or four, or however many of us there end up being."

"Ten?" suggested the brunette with a smile, looking down to watch Arizona's hand move under her shirt. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have thought about it today, but I'm not used to being pregnant yet." Her next breath trembled. "And if what I did today…"

"No," Arizona cut her off before she could put words to it. "No blaming. You're here. That's what matters…" The arm that wasn't between them curled around the back of Callie's neck, fingers playing in the back of her hair for a moment before she used the grip to steer Callie's head up and into a kiss. It was still soft, hesitant contact though. "Can we please go home now?" she requested wearily, grimacing at the feeling of dirt falling out of Callie's hair under her touch. "I love you, but you _need_ to take a shower, Calliope."

Surprised by the almost joke, Callie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "I know you might not be in a celebrating mood anymore, but I would love nothing more than if you would get in there with me," she requested, meekly meeting her eyes.

"Calliope," Arizona sighed her name. "You're not leaving my sight. It might be worse than after Africa, this time. You could have been crushed in a sinkhole today. I am absolutely taking a shower with you. Let's go home."

Callie changed in the locker room, brushing her hair out and dropping her filthy scrubs in the laundry with a shudder. If one thing had gone wrong, those would have been the clothes she died in. Arizona's arms slipped around her waist from behind, smoothing the hem of her shirt at the same time that she protectively covered her stomach. It made Callie smile to think that Arizona might find a way to touch her like this every day for the next nine months. She hoped she would because she already loved it. "Let's go home," she breathed, leaning back into her.

Arizona drove them home, of course, and Callie stretched out in the front seat, groaning as tight muscles started to relax. She smiled when she caught Arizona looking at her. "Hey," the blonde said softly, catching her left hand and pulling it to her lips, eyes focusing on the road.

"Hey," Callie mumbled sleepily. Her tired smile was adorable and sexy and perfect.

In spite of the late hour, Tim was waiting for them, clearly already knowing about what had happened. Arizona stood aside while he hugged Callie, his own relief clear on his face. It was so gratifying to see how much they loved each other, Tim taking his commitment as her brother-in-law completely seriously. She was his sister in every way but blood. And Callie loved him the same way. "I've done the heroic thing myself a time or two, so I can't say anything, but seeing it on the news…" He opened an arm to Arizona, kissing the side of her head as she joined their hug. "Seeing it from your side this time… You need to be more careful out there," he said sternly, keeping an arm around Arizona as he faced Callie.

"It's not like she slipped and fell in," Arizona chimed in. "She _volunteered _to go down into the sinkhole."

Callie bit her lip at the edge of accusation in her wife's tone. Obviously she wasn't out of trouble yet. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I would never hurt you deliberately. You know that," she said, pressing her lips against blonde hair. "How about you go warm up the water?" she suggested into her partner's ear. "I'll be right behind you."

Arizona nodded, emotional but not wanting to be and grateful for the reprieve. "Good night, Tim," she said, kissing his cheek and Callie's before she went up the stairs.

They both watched her go, Tim's hands tucking in the pockets of his jeans as he shifted his weight. "She really is Dad's daughter sometimes," he commented. "Give her some time to be upset, okay? She can really hold onto it, too." Callie nodded, swallowing hard. "And she loves you. Really, she does. But you scared her today." He ducked his head to meet her eyes. "I'm not saying this to hurt you, Cal, but I've never heard her cry like I heard her cry on the phone today after she found out what happened to you."

Heart breaking, Callie choked back tears. "It won't happen again," she promised.

"We both know you can't keep that," he said. "You had to save that lady, right? I get that." One arm rose to squeeze her shoulder and he met her eyes seriously. "Just don't break her heart by getting yourself killed. She wouldn't survive it."

She suddenly burned to tell him _why_, exactly, Arizona had been so frightened, but she didn't want to share their news without her. And she knew that the baby wasn't the only reason Arizona had been scared. Because Arizona loved her. And of course she was scared to learn that she'd been trapped under the earth. But she would do whatever she had to do to never break Arizona's heart like that.

"I can promise that," she said, nodding.

"Then go get her." Tim let her go with a smile. "I'm glad you're okay."

Smiling back at him, Callie squeezed his hand before she retreated quickly up the stairs. She was impatient to get to her wife. Surprisingly, the shower was empty when she stumbled into the bathroom, her shirt already over her head and her pants loose at her waist.

Arizona smiled almost shyly at her from the bathtub, already stripped and waiting for her in the lightly steaming water. "You going to join me?"

"Hell yes, I am," Callie gasped, shoving her tight jeans down her legs as fast as she could. She stumbled again and had to catch herself against the wall to keep from crashing headlong into the bathroom counter.

Sitting up in the water, Arizona's voice was strained as she pleaded, "Calliope, please be careful!" She was still stressed about potential accidents and her wife, and tripping in the bathroom was no exception. "Head wounds are not sexy."

The grin Callie sent her was entirely sexy though. "I can do sexy," she promised, finishing with her clothes. "Just give me a few minutes to get my hair washed and I'll clean up and…"

"Can I do it?" Arizona interrupted her, sitting back against the smooth sloped wall of the tub. She _loved_ this tub. It was made for two. But it had never been used for that purpose until after Callie had moved in. "Please?"

Callie nodded quietly as she stepped in and sank into the water, moaning appreciatively at the heat. "Even all dirty, you still love the short hair?" she asked, feeling Arizona's hands on her sides guiding her between her knees.

"Hell yes, I do," the blonde echoed Callie's earlier declaration, wet fingers trailing over her shoulders. "Lean back," she coaxed, cupping her hand to pour water over her scalp as Callie dipped her head backwards into the water.

The warmth was delicious, loosening the remnants of dirt and sweat slowly, Arizona's fingers in her hair making her eyes close to better absorb the sensation. The water moved as she shifted backward to lean her head against the blonde's chest, Arizona still stroking shampoo into her now wet hair. "I'm sorry I ruined our celebrating."

Arizona hushed her in an instant. "Didn't you tell me after the wreck with the T-bird that the only way anything is ruined is if you're not here with me now?" Under the water, an arm wrapped around her partner's waist. "You're alive, Calliope. That's plenty for us to celebrate. And the OB said we don't have anything to worry about yet with the little one."

Dark eyes blinked open to look up at her. "Are you telling me that _you_, Arizona Robbins, who is professionally worried about babies, you are choosing to not worry until we have to?" Callie asked incredulously, smiling softly.

"This is personal worry about _my_ baby," Arizona reminded her. "And _my_ wife. And if I worried as much as I'd like to, I'd give myself an ulcer, which would stress you out, which is bad for the baby…"

"Okay, okay, I get it," said Callie, tilting her head back to nestle her nose against a pale neck. "Do we want a girl or a boy?"

Arizona couldn't help smiling, though she shook her head. "I want a healthy baby. Anything else doesn't matter to me."

Callie craned up to kiss under her jaw. "Come on. Play along with me. Girl or boy?"

Considering, Arizona let her imagination run wild. The first thing that popped into her head was her perfect miniature Calliope. Guess they'd just have to have another one… Or think about it, anyway. "Girl," she answered. "Beautiful just like her mother." The water rippled again as Callie shifted again, needing to be closer to her. "We need to rinse your hair," Arizona reminded her in a whisper.

Obligingly dunking her head, Callie resettled against her with her head against the blonde's shoulder so she could reach her neck, cheek, and lips for kisses. "Okay, so, a girl. And do you want to be Mom, or Mama, or…"

"You're Mami," Arizona decided after a moment, attempting her best Spanish pronunciation.

Smiling against her neck, Callie kissed her skin softly. "You're Mama."

Arizona had to close her eyes, able to see their future at that moment - raising tiny humans together and being awesome surgeons. She _wanted_ it the way she'd never wanted anything before. Calliope Torres was her mate, her other half, and she could barely believe anymore that she'd never wanted children before. Because she wanted the child she prayed was growing in Callie's womb. She _needed_ there to be more of her and Calliope in the world. There needed to more of them, together, their love, in the world - learning to walk, and then running around as a tiny little unstoppable force as she already knew any child of Callie's would be, playing rough with Uncle Tim, getting hurt and scaring years off of her life, climbing into bed with them when a bad dream woke them up, all the things she'd been so scared to want. And she _needed_ to be there to see every day of that child's life.

"What about names?"

Callie's warm voice against her ear brought her back to the present. "What?"

"Names," Callie hummed against her jaw. "Did you ever have any favorite baby names, or did you not pick any out since you weren't going to have children?" she asked, sounding almost smug at her success in changing Arizona's dreams.

_This _was her dream. A life, children, a future with the woman in her arms. And she thought she'd been scared to lose Callie after the shooting at the hospital, but that was a pale shadow of what today had felt like. Losing either one of them would kill something inside of her, some part of who she was. But even with that fear choking her, she still found herself hoping desperately that Callie was still pregnant.

Callie nuzzled into her again. "Hey," she whispered. "Where'd you go? Come back to me."

Arizona breathed, "I'm here."

Her next breath was shaky, shuddery, and Callie tensed in her arms as she grew concerned. "Arizona…?"

Both hands smoothed over her stomach, still flat, but holding everything. She was holding everything she wanted. Everything she could have lost today. "Calliope…" Tears were choking her, closing her throat so she couldn't say anything else.

"Hey," Callie coaxed, feeling her start to tremble behind her. "Come on. Let's get up and we'll go to bed." She got them up and out of the tub, Callie letting the water out and taking the towel Arizona handed her.

"Can we lay down?" Arizona requested after they were dried off but before they were dressed in more than t-shirts and underwear, the blonde leading her to their bed by the hand. Crawling in, she settled on her side, facing Callie. She didn't say anything, just looked at her, fingers trailing aimless patterns across her cheek, through her hair, over her jaw.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Callie asked hesitantly. Arizona looked close to tears again. "I'm sorry I frightened you. But we're going to be okay," she stated, breathing deeply when the blonde touched her stomach again. "I love when you touch me there," she confessed, looking down at the hand on her abdomen and smiling.

Arizona laughed hoarsely. "You love when I touch you anywhere."

"Yeah, I do," Callie agreed, chuckling. "Will you hold me?"

The blonde head nodded as she swallowed. "Always." Callie shifted closer, head leaning against Arizona's as the hand on her middle flattened to cover more of her skin. Moving slowly, Arizona slipped her other arm underneath Callie's neck. She wanted her always in her arms. Callie reached up to curl the arm under her head across her chest, delivering Arizona's fingers into range of her breasts but more importantly, allowing her to scatter kisses across the blonde's forearm as they fell asleep.


	59. Chapter 49 pt 1

Callie had never been so happy to wake up nauseous, tearing herself out of Arizona's arms to rush to the toilet. After a sleepy, confused second, the blonde was quick on her heels, pulling her hair back from the basin.

When she'd obeyed the command of the child growing inside her stomach and finished puking, Callie couldn't help laughing, happy and grateful. Arizona provided her with her toothbrush and a cup of water, her own smile dimpled and dazzling. Callie slumped back against the base of the sink after she brushed and spit and rinsed, one hand on her stomach unconsciously.

Watching her quietly, Arizona held herself up with one hand on the wall, the relief making her knees weak. Her baby was still in there. "You," she gasped, voice hoarse. "You can't ever do anything like that again, Callie," she ordered, dark eyes finding her quickly, surprised. "No, I'm talking," Arizona cut her off before Callie could say anything to protest. "We have a _baby_, Calliope. And they don't have a heartbeat yet, but they're still _ours_. That is _my_ baby in there," her words were coming more quickly as her emotions rose, "and I don't want anything happening to my baby," she said, dropping to her knees suddenly when Callie started to stand up, the brunette wincing at the painful sounding crack of knees against tile. Arizona just ignored it. "My baby is in there," she repeated, one hand reaching unsteadily toward Callie. Her breath was sucked away when her partner guided her hand to cover her stomach. "There's a part of me inside you…"

"Arizona," Callie breathed, stopping when the blonde just shook her head, eyes moving from their hands on her stomach to her face.

"In _you_, Calliope. I can't lose you," Arizona continued, voice steady again, stronger. "Nothing can happen to you, okay? You can't ever leave. Promise me that right now…"

"Nothing's going to happen to me," promised Callie quickly, covering Arizona's hand with her own. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I will always be sorry I scared you like that, but I will never, ever leave you. Do you understand me? That's how this works. I'm with you, no matter what, forever." Their eyes locked and Callie smiled, brushing one hand lightly across her cheek, feeling her lean into the touch.

Taking a shaky breath, Arizona shifted her hand gingerly to lean over from her spot on her knees and put her face next to the invisible place where her baby lived. "Hey," she whispered, the soft sound drawing tears to Callie's eyes. "You can't hear me yet, but I'm your Mama and I love you so much." She drew the edge of Callie's shirt up to kiss her skin. "Mami and I want to meet you, so you hang on tight in there, okay?" she breathed, nuzzling her nose against the soft swell of her stomach and kissing it again.

Callie's breath was hoarse with tears now, feeling full of emotion. "Damn it!" she muttered, trying to control her reaction. "These hormones are a bitch!"

"You're lucky she can't hear yet!" Arizona chided playfully, both hands covering Callie's sides as though she could cover their baby's ears. "Language, Calliope!" She sat up for a kiss with her wife. "And I kind of like you being all emotional," she said with a laugh.

"Yeah, easy for you to say," Callie said, grumpy. Crying because she was married to the sweetest person in the world was _not_ hardcore or badass.

Arizona just nuzzled in for another kiss, sucking lightly on her lip. "If you can't be emotional with me, who can you be emotional with?" she reasoned. "And if you say Tim, I'm going to smack him," she warned. "And possibly you, but just on the ass."

Callie raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh yeah? And what did you _just_ say about language, Arizona?"

The blonde shrugged, smirking. Her joy was clear to see now that she had been relieved. "She can't hear us. And you've got a spectacular ass. You turned me into an ass girl, Calliope Torres. I've been a big fan since day one." Callie's head dropped back to laugh. "Big fan!"

"Yeah, well I love your rack, so I can't say anything," Callie said with a grin. "And your legs," she added. "I love your legs!" A pause so she could sigh almost wistfully as she reminisced about her wife's legs. Arizona's eyebrow went up slowly as a proud smirk grew on her lips, dimples popping. Callie was quick to gesture to the impressions on her cheeks. "And those dimples! I love those. I want the little one to have those! Ooh! And your butt. Just, everything you've got, I love it," she finally declared. Arizona shifted to sit beside her on the floor when Callie tugged on her wrist, dark head leaning over onto her shoulder. "You still going to love me when I'm all fat? Because technically it's your fault…"

"Calliope Torres! You are pregnant, not fat!" Arizona reminded her pointedly. "And I could not be happier that it's my fault," she added proudly. "And of course I'm going to love you when you start to _show_." She emphasized the final word while her hand swirled across tanned skin. "Because it's my baby in there. That's the hottest thing _ever_." And saying that lost none of its terrifying magic the more she repeated it. Her baby was inside her wife. Right now, their baby was growing. It was… awesome. The most awesome thing ever, maybe.

The Latina laughed, squirming as Arizona dragged her short nails across her stomach. "Yeah?" Her voice was strained but less with emotion now and more with arousal. They'd missed out on marathon sex the night before, but the continuation of her morning sickness seemed to have reassured Arizona that they really could have come through a sinkhole okay.

"Yeah," the blonde echoed, her own tone low and breathy. "How are you feeling?" Thus far, her morning sickness had been a quick purge every morning when she first woke up with no lingering symptoms.

"I'm hungry, but I feel fine," Callie answered, not bothering to hide her hopeful smirk. "I'd love to eat," she said, arching an eyebrow at her wife.

Arizona just groaned. She was married to the hottest woman in the world. And it was only going to get better. Her throat had gone dry and she swallowed thickly. "I think we have the stuff for pancakes…" she suggested dumbly, not sure how she was speaking at all when her brain was providing so many images. Oh _so_ many images…

The smirk on Callie's lips was delightful. "That's not what I meant and you know it," she said, turning her face into the blonde's neck and pecking light kisses up and down her throat.

"You're eating for two now," Arizona insisted even as her eyes fell closed to savor the feeling of Callie's lips on her skin. "And _that_ doesn't count," she said before Callie could argue.

Frowning petulantly, Callie considered that. Coming up with a solution, she perked up and asked hopefully, "After breakfast?"

"Definitely," Arizona agreed breathlessly, forcing herself to her feet and offering a helpful hand up to Callie.

The brunette was suddenly demonstrating an enviably ability to appear disaffected, crossing their bedroom to get sleep pants from the drawer. "Catch." She threw a pair of Arizona's favorite flannel pants across the room to her. Red and black patterned, they were too big and dragged past her heels but they were soft and comfy. She claimed they'd never been owned by Karev, but Callie wasn't sure.

From the kitchen window, the sight of Tim, Alex, and Teddy scuffling over a football in the yard made them pause, Callie's eyes lighting up. She'd always loved playing football. "Get that look off your face," Arizona said, Callie blinking at her in confusion. "You can't play football right now! One of those idiots would hurt you or the baby and then I'd have to kill them," she said, lowering her voice even though they were alone in the kitchen.

Suddenly grumpy, Callie sent her a glare. "Fine, but you owe me." Outside, as if to prove Arizona's point, Teddy jumped on Tim's back in an attempt to disrupt his pass to Karev, sending the pair of them crashing to the ground.

"I already said we're having morning sex," Arizona said with a laugh. "What more do you want?"

"Oh, we're past sex, here," the brunette declared. "You're watching the playoff games with me!" Arizona's mouth dropped open to protest immediately. She was not a sports fan. She knew the basics, but had never made an effort to learn, even though Tim (and now Callie) insisted that they were fun to watch and play. And she had enjoyed watching Callie play softball, but that was more about the hotness of her woman in a uniform than anything sports related. "I'm carrying your child," Callie cut in with her shiny new secret weapon before a word could escape her partner.

Blue eyes blinked as she realized that there was exactly no argument she could make. "_Fine_," she grouched. "Are you going to use that every time we disagree about something from now on?"

"Oh, most definitely," Callie said, pleased by the effectiveness of her new weapon. Arizona relented slightly when Callie looked less disappointed about not getting to go outside and roughhouse with the others.

If any of their children picked up that expression from Callie though, she was screwed, Arizona realized privately. "What's a playoff game?" she asked with a sigh. "Is that football?"

"Yes and no," Callie answered with an eye roll. "There are football playoffs. Basketball starts now, though. And they start tonight. Me and Tim and Alex were going to watch the first one together after dinner, but now you can join us." It was Arizona's turn to look grumpy. "I don't get to play sports, I'm at least going to make you watch them," declared Callie, determined not to give into the pitiful expression. "So get that look off your face."

With another little sigh, Arizona started setting up the griddle on the stove for pancakes. "Are we at least still having morning sex?"

Arizona was reaching up for the mixing bowl when Callie's body pressed against her back, hands on either side of her body trapping her against the counter. Callie's breath was warm against the side of her neck and she let out an involuntary squeak. "Arizona, I will take you right here, right now if you need me to," she promised, face turning in to lay hot, wet, sucking kisses along her neck.

Swallowing hard and squeezing her eyes closed, Arizona took a shaky breath. "Oh God. Those hormones are amazing," she gasped.

Callie laughed against her skin, licking the shell of her ear slowly. "Oh, this isn't hormones. I just want you. Remember when I put you on the counter and we…"

"And Alex walked in on us?" Arizona cut in before the memory overwhelmed self-control. They were setting themselves up for the same interruptions. And as she recalled, before Alex had walked in, she'd been _very_ close. Of course, Callie had just taken that as a challenge and started over… _No_. No matter how good it promised to be, she was not putting them in that position again.

"That was just bad luck. _You_ could have been quieter. Let's see how you can do this time," Callie coaxed, one hand sneaking under the fabric of her shirt and moving north.

Arizona quickly caught her hand, breathing deeply. "Calliope, I want to, believe me." A hot mouth sucked on her earlobe and she moaned reflexively, fighting the urge to hop onto their kitchen counter and let her do whatever she wanted. "But you're having our baby." Callie paused, not sure what the connection was. "You're having our baby and I want to celebrate that." Arizona turned in her arms, still pressed tight between the counter and Callie's warm curves. "I want to take my time," she whispered, Callie's head already cocked and leaning in for a kiss.

Soft and slow, the first meeting between their tongues made Callie's grip on her hips tighten, pulling her infinitesimally closer. Thinking ahead to when Callie would start to show, when kissing this close would be impossible because their baby would be in between them, Arizona smiled into the contact. "What?" Callie pulled back to ask, kissing her lightly.

The soft, sweet, loving smile on her lips made something in Arizona's knees go weak. Only she got to see this side of Calliope. "Soon I won't be able to get this close," she said with another light, soft kiss. "Because everyone will be able to see our baby growing," Arizona continued before Callie could make a comment about being fat. "You're gorgeous. And you know it. But if you forget or don't feel it sometime in the next nine months, just let me tell you how incredible and beautiful I know you are."

Callie blushed, leaning back to meet her eyes. She didn't have to ask to know how Arizona saw her, she could see it whenever blue eyes were on her. How she felt was in her eyes for everyone to see. "_You're_ beautiful, Arizona," she whispered instead.

The tender moment was interrupted as the football hit the kitchen window from outside, Callie laughing when Arizona jumped in surprise. "Didn't we kick them out? Why are they here, again?" the blonde asked sarcastically.

"It's Saturday, babe. Family breakfast. And she's going to need her uncles around," Callie said, grinning and freeing Arizona from the counter. It would be months before they could find out the baby's gender, if they even wanted to find out at all, but for now she liked the idea that their daughter was growing inside her. She _loved_ the idea that they were having a child. She definitely wouldn't have wanted to do this with anyone but Arizona Robbins.

Arizona scoffed. "You call Karev 'Uncle Alex' and see what he does," she advised with a grin, resuming her pancake prep while Callie went to the window that had been hit and knocked to get the players' attention in the yard.

She pushed it open so she could call outside, "You guys want pancakes?"

They all signaled eagerly that they would and Callie pushed the window closed again, taking up the spot at the griddle while Arizona mixed the batter. "Can we have chocolate chips?" she asked excitedly.

"Mmh, yes, please," Callie hummed, leaning over for a quick, soft kiss. They worked together in comfortable quiet for a few minutes, Arizona sitting on the counter beside the stove and dispensing batter as Callie needed it. "Hey, so I wanted to ask you… when do we want to tell people about…" she glanced down at herself, "the little one?" asked Callie conversationally.

Arizona kicked her feet lightly against the cabinets, shrugging. "The end of the first trimester?" she suggested. "I mean, I want to tell people as soon as possible, but I want it to be…"

"More sure," Callie finished, nodding. "Have I said yet today that I'm _so _sorry about the whole sinkhole thing…?"

"Stop," interjected Arizona. "You're okay, and until we find out something different, the baby's okay too." She scooped batter up on her finger, making sure to get a chocolate chip, and offered it to Callie.

She just smirked without taking it. "Are you seriously giving me that?"

Arizona blinked, unsure why this was a problem. "Um, yes?" she answered uncertainly.

"It's got raw eggs in it." Arizona just shook her head, frowning lightly while she tried to connect the dots. "Salmonella…" Callie coaxed her toward it. "And I'm pregnant…" That got no less awesome and amazing the more times she said it. She was pregnant - was going to have a baby with the woman she loved more than anything. Arizona's mouth dropped open and she shrugged, sucking the batter from her own finger. "Seriously? You're a doctor!" Callie said, laughing as she swatted a hand to her partner's thigh.

"Yeah, but before I was a doctor, I was a kid who _loves _chocolate chips," Arizona countered, voice muffled by her finger in her mouth. Callie just shook her head in disbelief. "I ate cookie dough and pancake batter all the time and I never got salmonella…" she insisted lightly. She laughed. "Tim actually thought for a while that Mom made it up so we wouldn't eat the cookie dough."

"Okay, so your mom did _try_ and tell you. You just didn't listen!"

"Yep," confirmed Arizona with a cheerful grin. "Just like we'll tell her," she gestured downward toward Callie's stomach, "and I'm sure she'll eat it anyway just like I did."

Callie leaned over for a kiss, able to taste the sweetness on her lover's lips. "You know, when she comes out a little troublemaker, I'm blaming you," she promised in a whisper, privately loving the idea that their child could be a little Arizona clone. She knew it wasn't likely to happen with the most of the physical features, but she'd be perfectly happy if they had the perkiest, most smiley little baby in the world. Her thumb traced the dimple that she prayed had been passed on to the baby inside her.

"Me, Calliope?" Arizona teased. "Because of the two of us, you're the _much_ bigger troublemaker!"

Callie pulled back to grin at her, leaning back into her space in front of the stove to keep working on breakfast. She was relieved to still be experiencing morning sickness but she had no desire to see what the baby thought of the smell of burned pancakes. "You lie! What do I do?"

"Excuse me? Which one of us, _today_, proposed sex in the kitchen while our friends are outside in the yard? Because that wasn't me!" Oh yeah. That _was_ her. And she would absolutely still go for it. The arch of her eyebrow promised that. "No, Calliope," Arizona denied her again flatly. "We're feeding you and the baby actual food and then we're going upstairs and we'll do whatever you want."

Callie just nodded and bit her lip, already knowing exactly what she wanted to do. "Do you want to hear what that is?" she asked, always happy to find another way to tease her lover. "It's commonly referred to by a number," she added before Arizona could decide if she'd rather be tortured through breakfast or not. "Comes before seventy. And so do you, normally, when we do it…" Callie had counted it out before, drawing numbers with her tongue against her lover's clit. Arizona had come well before seventy. Thirty-four had become Callie's new lucky number.

Groaning at the images her brain supplied instantly, Arizona had to close her eyes, her fingers gripping the edge of the countertop under her tightly. "See! Troublemaker!" she declared, voice hoarse. Callie was clearly enjoying herself because she just laughed at the accusation.

"Who's a troublemaker?" Tim asked as he entered from the hallway behind them. "Callie? Callie's totally a troublemaker!" he agreed with a wink, retrieving three water bottles from the fridge. "What'd you do this time?"

The wicked look in her eyes made Arizona speak up before she could answer, "No, nope! Don't answer that!"

"Oh, so a sex thing," guessed Tim wisely, chuckling. "What are you doing, holding out on her?"

"Hell no!" Arizona shot back, praying that her face didn't flush as she remembered _exactly_ what they'd been discussing two seconds before he'd come in the room. "No way!"

"Kind of the opposite, actually," Callie confessed with a smirk, causing both of the Robbins siblings to groan in protest.

Tim choked on his water and pounded a fist to his chest. "I'm going to go take a shower," he gasped out hoarsely. "And when I come back, we're going to eat pancakes and have _wholesome_ conversation that doesn't involve my sister's sex life!"

"Amen, brother!" Arizona agreed, narrowing her eyes at her partner and defiantly scooping up another finger of pancake batter for herself. "You behave!" she warned her sternly. "Troublemaker!" she couldn't resist adding, letting a dimpled grin slip to her face.


	60. Chapter 49 pt 2

Arizona could do nothing but moan as her back collided with the wall of their bedroom, Callie's hands everywhere, lips and tongue setting her skin on fire. "Mmh, baby…" She squealed when both strong, Ortho hands found her ass, Callie lifting her just enough to get her feet off the floor. Her own hands flew to her wife's shoulders, trying to push her back. "Calliope, no!" Pregnant women should _not_ be lifting and carrying other women. Even if the other woman was her and it was _incredibly _hot.

Callie was too strong for her though, and just leaned back so Arizona more or less fell into her. Two long steps and she tumbled them both into bed, laughing as they rolled across the sheets. "I wouldn't drop you," she said, pulling on Arizona's ear lightly with her teeth.

"I'm not worried about you dropping me," Arizona gasped out, eyes falling closed. "You shouldn't strain yourself." Callie's hand was under her shirt, sliding up her side, and she found it hard to breathe steadily, much less think of words.

Nails dragged across sensitive flesh and her body bucked. "I'm not an invalid, Arizona," Callie reminded her, voice a growl in her ear. "I'm pregnant."

It was Callie's turn to yelp as Arizona flipped them suddenly, throwing her leg over the Latina's prone body and sitting up, knees on either side of her hips. "Yes, you are," she said, voice soft and reverent now. "Calliope…" Callie just smiled up at her, sitting up on her elbows when Arizona shuffled backwards and pushed her shirt up slowly. Blonde hair tickled her skin as her partner kissed across her belly and Callie laced her fingers through the soft locks. "Thank you."

Callie stroked her head gently, touched. "Shouldn't I be saying that?" she asked hoarsely. "I've got everything I want, because of you. I'm not me without you." Arizona looked up and their eyes met for a long moment, Callie smiling sweetly. "Now, I'm as big a fan of mushy as the next girl," Arizona laughed, dimpled grin already out, "and I love you on top of me, of course, but I wouldn't be opposed to some movement, if you're up for it."

"Oh, you know I'm up for it," Arizona answered without a pause, leaning forward to put her face over Callie's, catching her wrists simultaneously and holding them to the sheets. "But I think you challenged my ability to be quiet earlier, Calliope." Callie swallowed and Arizona ducked her head to kiss her swiftly, not lingering and dodging her wife's attempt to reconnect the kiss. "Should we see how you can do?"

Arizona's desire to take her time and celebrate echoed in her ears, but Callie couldn't stop herself nodding. If Arizona wanted to spend more time between her legs, who was she to argue? She wasn't going to break. "Let's see what you've got…" she challenged, arching an eyebrow at her.

The next kiss was slower, Arizona guiding her shirt the rest of the way up with both hands. Tossing it away, her hands took their time exploring all the newly revealed flesh. Her sleep pants were easy to push down, Callie helpfully lifting her hips. Arizona dodged her attempt to keep kissing her though. "My mouth's going somewhere else now," she reminded her, loving getting to tease her. "You just lay back and rest and try not to come." Growling, Callie tried to sit up, only for Arizona's hand on the middle of her chest to push her back flat on the bed. "Or come if you want," Arizona said, smirking. "I'm not going to mind."

Callie relented when the blonde's other hand rubbed across the front of her panties, hooking between her legs and pulling them down. Who was she kidding? If Arizona wanted to tease her, she would do her best to make it last. The first swipe of a tongue through her was nearly her undoing though, her body jumping. And Arizona didn't make it easy on her, diving in hungrily after her first taste. She didn't go slow or linger to tease, just went straight for the prize eagerly, sucking and licking and thrusting her tongue. "Arizona, God," Callie gasped, hands fisted in the sheets.

The blonde's hands held her legs open when Callie started to squeeze them around her. "Callie, you - you taste…" Her words faded out into drawn out moans and Callie could feel her peak coming at her as the sounds sent sensation shooting through her. No. Arizona was amazing in bed, but she'd been challenged and she wouldn't let this happen so soon. And she wanted to scream. "I take it back," Arizona declared suddenly, voice muffled and breathless. "Be as loud as you want. It's hot that I can make you come so fast. Come, baby. I need it - I need more."

"What about going slow?" Callie ground out, still struggling to hold back. "Taking your - oh _fuck_ - time?" Arizona's lips closed around her clit and she sucked hard again.

"We will go slow _next_ time," reasoned Arizona, words breathed against a hot core. "Now, I'm telling you, come in my mouth." Unable to _not_ obey, Callie let go, her body rocked with tremors as her lover drank down everything she gave her. Without either of them realizing they'd done it, Arizona reached one hand up while Callie stretched down, their hands meeting and fingers lacing. It was Callie's grounding connection, Arizona guiding her gently back down to earth as she coaxed her through the aftershocks with slow, dragging licks through her center.

Both were breathless when Arizona flopped on the pillow next to her, Callie turning onto her side and into her, kissing her shoulder and hugging her arm. "Where the hell did _that_ come from?" she questioned, laughing. Of course, they had a fantastic sex life but it was rare that Arizona devoured her like the last steak at a cookout.

Instead of answering vocally, Arizona lifted her head and rocked toward her, kissing Callie. Her tongue slid between full lips and Callie moaned at the taste of herself on her lover. "You taste different. I like it. You can't get all self-conscious and think you're not sexy, because I need to do that every day," Arizona panted, her words tripping over each other. "You're amazing, Calliope."

"I'm going to be a hormone casserole, so no promises, but I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Callie answered with a laugh. "It was pretty good for me too." That was an understatement of epic proportions. She squeezed the hand she was still holding. "I want you now though. Get naked."

Arizona shook her head. "I'm going again," she declared, starting to slide back down Callie's body. The brunette caught her by the shoulders, dragging her back up. She could feel Arizona's wetness on her skin and took a shaky breath.

"Let me take care of that for you," she coaxed softly. She almost couldn't believe that Arizona looked conflicted, torn between letting Callie touch her and slaking her own thirst for her wife. Callie leaned up to kiss her, light, soft, pecks on the lips. "Let me make you feel good," she requested, licking lightly at her lip. "Please? Turn around at least," compromised Callie. "I want you, Arizona. I want you on my tongue the way I'm on yours."

It was enough, hearing the gorgeous, incredible, amazing woman (with her baby inside her) pleading to give her pleasure, and Arizona kissed her again swiftly before she kicked off her pants, tossed her shirt, and reoriented herself in the bed, returning to her happy place between her wife's thighs. And then Callie was in her, tasting her, and she had to drop her face to the sheets for a second, adjusting to the feeling. Because it was a _good_ feeling. "Calliope…"

"Shh, I know," Callie assured her, knowing how she felt because she felt it too. "I love you."

"Love you too," reciprocated the blonde, squeezing her eyes closed against the darkness of the sheets her face was buried in. Callie made her see lights and colors though, all the cheesy stuff she'd sworn was shit. It wasn't. With the right person - it happened. And Callie was her right person - not just in bed, but in life. Which made her the luckiest person on the planet. And the woman she loved, the woman who had helped her build their life together, the life she loved, was giving her a baby. It felt like she couldn't go more than a few minutes without thinking about it.

Callie was pregnant.

Calliope, _her_ Calliope, was going to have a baby.

Her baby.

Holy shit.

It was terrifying, the single scariest thing she'd ever thought in her life, but it sort of exhilarated her too. She was having a baby with the woman she loved more than life. They were going to be mothers together. To a baby. Like one of the kids she saw every day (but never like one of those kids because that would kill her), but _theirs_.

A hand slapping her thigh lightly brought her back to the present, Callie's voice amused. "You know, you could just say you're too tired if you're not into this. Or you have a headache or something."

Arizona nipped her thigh firmly in rebuke. "Bite your tongue! I was just thinking…"

"What are you thinking about so hard when I'm going down on you?" she asked, curious what could have so thoroughly distracted her usually responsive (and vocal) lover.

Arizona bit her again, sucking on the skin for a few seconds. "You're having our baby," she breathed, bumping her nose against the mark she'd left on the inside of Callie's thigh. "It's awesome." But now she was back on task, focusing on what was directly in front of her, which at this second, was her wife's practically dripping core. It was suddenly calling her name.

And then Callie was calling her name, voice trembling as Arizona licked her. "Arizona, please…" She kept up her actions, determined to keep Callie making those happy noises. Because she loved that she could make her feel that good.

Not that Callie was a slouch at making her feel good, either. And her wife proved that as she went back to town on her, Arizona moaning at the feeling she was actually appreciating now. Falling into rhythm and mirroring Callie's own actions against her, Arizona realized that she was actually _really_ close already, her body responding to Callie even when her brain had been elsewhere. So she redoubled her efforts, determined to make sure Callie came with her. So when her orgasm hit her, sending fire through her veins, she put everything she had into sending Callie over that edge right behind her.

It was only after that they were face to face again, Callie twining their limp limbs together hopelessly, that Arizona let her smug grin show. "I know you just got a pretty good orgasm, but what's that look for?" the Latina hummed, still moaning her own satisfaction. Not only had Arizona gotten her own pleasure, she had given some more than pretty good feelings herself.

"You definitely screamed."

"I did _not_!" Callie denied, mouth hanging open.

Arizona giggled, stealing a swift kiss. "Oh, you totally did, Calliope. I win!" She made an exaggerated fist pump in the air over their heads, Callie's hand swatting her bare side.

"Maybe you shouldn't watch sports with the boys. I think they're a bad influence on you," Callie groused, pulling her arm back down and wrapping it around herself. For an undeniable badass, hardcore, bone breaking, ass kicking surgeon, Callie was an equally undeniable cuddler after sex. Arizona not so secretly adored it.

"Maybe we just won't get out of bed," countered Arizona. "You screaming for me is way more fun than stupid basketball or whatever, anyway."

And as much as she did like sports, Callie couldn't argue with that. Well, of course, she would argue with the screaming part, but staying like this with Arizona was an appealing idea. Arizona groaned when Callie rolled away from her suddenly, hand stretched out and searching blindly across the top of the table beside the bed.

"Hey, I wasn't done with you yet," the blonde protested, reaching out and finding her wife's calf with one hand. She felt around to make sure that's what she was grabbing before she wrapped both hands around it and pulled.

Something fell off the table as Callie squealed, Arizona determinately tugging again until Callie was close enough to wrap up more securely. "You're like a caveman right now, you know that?" she pretended to complain as Arizona curled both arms and legs around her.

Arizona just shrugged, nuzzling her nose into dark hair. "Mine," she murmured to play along. One eye cracked open when Callie laughed. "What fell? Did I break something?"

"My phone fell, that's all," Callie answered just as the beep of an answered text message rang. "But it didn't break." Arizona grunted for play, kissing her neck. "Are you going to let me get that?" Callie asked when her wife made no move to release her. Of course, trapped in Arizona's arms wasn't a hold she was quick to fight her way free of.

"Mmh, I'm thinking no. Who's it from?"

"It's Tim."

"Then no," confirmed Arizona cheerfully. "You're not getting out of sexy time in bed with me to go talk to my stupid, stinky brother."

Callie laughed, stroking one hand lightly across the blonde's arm where it was snugly across her waist. "I told him we were busy and he and Alex should watch the game at his place."

Arizona's head popped up, her smile wide. "Really? You're blowing off the playoffs with the boys for me?"

Stretching, Callie smiled as Arizona started pecking quick kisses across her face. "Well, I'd say we could still watch it, but you've got your silly 'no TV in the bedroom' rule."

"That rule's not silly," Arizona argued, still kissing any skin she could reach. "That rule's awesome. And still in effect, Calliope."

"It's my house too," the brunette countered, enjoying the lazy joy of just basking in bed with her wife. And the teasing was nice too, as well as Arizona's completely unconscious stroking of two fingers back and forth across her stomach.

"It is, but we're not putting a TV in here, no matter how much sex you offer." Her lips found the pulse in Callie's neck and she smirked against the skin when the Latina's head tipped backwards to give her more space.

"I'm having your baby," Callie reminded her, eyes closed as she enjoyed the sound of Arizona's growl against her throat. "But if we're putting anything in here, it'll be a crib. And no way our baby's getting used to going to sleep to the sound of a TV," she reasoned, smiling as she felt Arizona pull back, leaning up to look at her. "Hey," she murmured as she opened her eyes, Arizona brushing hair back from her face with the hand that wasn't still touching her stomach.

"Hey," Arizona answered softly, breathing deeply. Her whole world was in this bed. Ducking her head, she kissed Callie's shoulder, happy when her partner's arm curled over her shoulder. "We can watch the game if you want to," she offered.

Callie didn't even play like she was thinking about it, just shook her head. "I want to stay right here." She palmed the back of Arizona's head, pulling her down to her lips gently. "Because that was good, but I don't think we're done celebrating, are we?"

"Hell no," Arizona growled, meeting her lips firmly.


	61. Chapter 50

If she didn't love her so much, Callie could almost hate Arizona for standing at the sink and brushing her teeth while she was on her knees vomiting into the toilet. After two weeks of relatively easy morning sickness it had gotten worse, leaving her heaving every day without fail. But now, after a month of only increases in her pregnancy symptoms with none of the signs of trouble that Arizona was watching her for like a hawk, they'd both started to relax.

The cup of water Arizona offered her when she leaned back was accepted gratefully, Callie sipping on it while she caught her breath. "I think we should tell people," Arizona announced as she held Callie's toothbrush down to her, toothpaste already on the bristles.

"What happened to waiting until the first trimester was over?" asked Callie, leaning back against the wall while she brushed her teeth. They only had a few more weeks to wait anyway.

Arizona perched lightly on the edge of the sink, watching her. At two months, she wasn't showing yet, but there were subtle changes already. Or at least Arizona insisted there were. "If we don't give them some kind of explanation for the puking, everyone's going to think I'm poisoning you or something."

Callie shot her a narrow look, scoffing. "Yeah, _right_. You only let me eat health food crap. _That's_ more obvious than the puking!" The puking had only happened at home so far, but Arizona was carrying the food insanity to the cafeteria at work.

"I'm trying to take care of _our_ baby, Calliope," Arizona countered patiently. This was a disagreement they'd had before. Callie wanted to eat whatever she craved, but Arizona insisted on health food. "But how about this - we'll take everybody out to dinner and we'll tell them we're having a baby and you can order whatever you want." Callie arched a doubtful eyebrow at her, leaning over the toilet again to spit out her toothpaste foam. "As long as it's not bad for the baby, of course," Arizona added quickly.

Callie hit the flush and sat back against the wall, eyeing her. "And you won't say anything, or make faces at me?"

Sighing, the blonde head nodded. "I won't say anything," she confirmed. "Or make faces," Arizona added before Callie could prompt her to say it. "I promise."

The smile she got as a reward made it completely worth it, Callie giving her a dazzling expression. "Okay." She held both hands up for assistance up from the floor and Arizona helped her to her feet. "So when are we going?" she asked eagerly, kissing the blonde happily on the cheek before she rinsed out her toothbrush and put it back in the cup.

"That depends," Arizona mused, using the opportunity to slip both hands over Callie's belly, the invisible bump where their child grew. "Do you want to invite Aria? Because last time we talked to her, she was in Texas. She'd need a little bit of notice to be able to make it here for dinner."

"What about your parents?" Callie asked, her eagerness for unhealthy food dampened by the reminder that they both had family outside of Seattle that they would want to share the news with.

Arizona pecked a kiss to her neck. "Didn't I tell you? They're coming in this weekend for Tim's birthday." She laughed, nuzzling into her skin. "I could have sworn I told you."

She had told her, Callie realized. She'd just plain forgotten about it. Her brain was just too full of hormones and emotion to keep hold of anything else. Focusing in surgery was the extent of her mental abilities anymore. "You did. I just…"

"You're pregnant," Arizona hummed, unmistakably proud of that fact. "It's okay." Her hands stroked across the surface of Callie's shirt while the dark head fell back against her shoulder, leaning into the embrace. "I love touching you like this," she whispered, knowing that Callie loved it too.

"I'm glad," the Latina confirmed it. "Thank you, baby. I know I haven't exactly been _easy_ to deal with…"

Arizona kissed under her jaw, sucking on the skin to stop her words. "You're growing our baby, Calliope. I can take a little bad attitude." She dragged her tongue over the mark she'd left on Callie's neck. It wasn't deep, it would fade in an hour or two. "We're having a baby," she whispered.

Nodding, Callie touched the hands at her middle, Arizona lacing their fingers. "I'll call Aria and see if she can get here next week. But let's wait until after Tim's birthday. He should have his own day without a baby stealing the spotlight…"

"You're sweet," murmured Arizona. "We'll have to figure out a good excuse for why you can't drink on Timmy's birthday though. He's used to partying with Marines." While she spoke her fingers trailed across Callie's belly.

"Just get me a beer in a brown glass bottle and we'll get it refilled with water," Callie suggested, her eyes sliding closed. It felt _really_ good when Arizona touched her like that.

Arizona laughed, a bit surprised how easily her wife had come up with that plan. "That should do it, but no drinking contests with Karev. Or Tim," she paused, considering, "Or Aria…"

"Yeah, it wouldn't be fair for me to win so easily," she scoffed. "Not even coffee?" Callie asked, flinching away from the pinch on the hip that that earned her. Her need for coffee had been a tetchy issue between them, Arizona insisting that it would be better for the baby if she was off caffeine while Callie had done her research and stated flatly that she would limit her coffee intake, but not cut it out entirely. She needed her coffee, damn it!

"Very funny, Calliope," the blonde shot back. "You'll regret it when she's kicking you like crazy."

Callie smiled up at the ceiling, her head still leaned back on Arizona's shoulder. "Coffee or not, I'm sure she'll kick me like crazy. She's _your_ child!"

That got her another pinch, this time on an ass cheek. "Excuse me? _You_ are the one who kicks! Remember that time I woke up on the floor in Spain because you _literally _kicked me out of the bed!" Arizona countered with a laugh.

They definitely needed to go on a trip before the baby came. Probably not somewhere exotic - they were already going to take maternity leave, no way the Chief would give them extra time before that. To say nothing of her hesitance to expose Callie to anything close to a foreign illness. But they could take a weekend and go down to L.A. and visit Addie, maybe. And it would give her a chance to tell her friend about the baby and avoid the redhead's anger at her lack of communication skills.

"We don't actually know I kicked you out of the bed!" Callie brought her back to their playful argument. "I mean, why would I do that?"

"All I know, Calliope, is that I woke up on the floor! That tells me that you were the kicker and I was the kicked!"

"We'd been drinking. Maybe you were just drunk!" Another pinch on the ass. "Which sounds better for when we tell the kids this story - Mami kicked Mama out of bed, or Mama was drunk and fell out herself?" Callie asked teasingly, which ended the discussion while they both took a moment to remember that they were about to be parents.

And damn it if it still wasn't the most terrifying thing Arizona had ever thought in her life. But she was doing it with Callie. And they could do this. Even being anxious about being a mother didn't mean she wasn't good with children. And Callie was brilliant with kids. Everyone in their position was anxious. They could definitely do this…

"Yeah," she said, laughing. "Maybe we don't tell them about that for a few years…"

"Like, eighteen," suggested Callie. Arizona's hands on her hips turned her so they're face to face. "I can't wait to tell everybody," she said with a smile, Arizona nodding. "Is your mom going to freak out? Because I kind of think she's going to freak out."

The blonde grinned. "She's definitely going to freak out," she confirmed. "Especially since she _might_ not know we've been trying." She tried an exaggeratedly wide smile, knowing her dimples would show up and help her out as Callie gaped at her.

"You never told her?"

"You never told her either!" Arizona countered quickly. Her mother and Callie talked often, Callie could have told her anytime herself. But she'd just assumed Arizona would have done it. "But I'll tell you now, she might be so happy she'll kiss you. So be prepared."

Callie laughed suddenly, shaking her head at her wife. "Oh boy… What's your dad going to think?"

"He's going to want a grandson," said Arizona. "So if the first one's a girl, he's going to need us to have more."

"Aww, but he's so sweet with you. He'd be adorable with a little girl!"

Laughing, Arizona pecked a kiss to her lips. "I know! Just never let him hear you say it," she advised, still smiling. The expression sobered slowly as she remembered the other set of parents they were deliberately leaving out of the conversation. "Calliope…"

"Don't," Callie cut her off knowingly. "I want us telling people to be a nice time. My parents being there would not be nice."

Arizona nodded, arms wrapping around her waist so that their stomachs touched. "Okay. But if you ever want to try and talk to them, I'll go with you," she offered softly.

Sighing heavily, Callie leaned her forehead against her. "Thank you, but them letting me down is not a new revelation." Their eyes locked. "And I can handle it. Really, I can. But I can't let them let you down, or let down our baby." They both glanced down at her stomach, Arizona slipping a hand in between their bodies to cover her again.

"This kid's going to have _so_ many people that love them, Calliope," she whispered. "It might not be two sets of grandparents, but they will have parents that adore them, an Uncle Tim, and an Aunt Aria, and Teddy, and Alex, and Addie. And I promise, my parents will be crazy enough about this one for four grandparents."

"And what, exactly, are we going to do about the sleeping arrangements when all these loving people are here? Aria's happy to spend daddy's money to stay at a hotel, but the idea of this house was for your parents to have somewhere to stay when they visited, but I still feel a little weird putting your parents in one of the boys' old rooms. They could have our room…"

"You are _not_ sleeping on that couch," Arizona declared immediately. "It's a deathtrap!"

"That we _still_ haven't replaced," Callie laughed. They'd been meaning to, but it was a low priority when they didn't have someone crashing at their house.

Arizona shook her head stubbornly. "It'll give the baby back problems." She grinned, winking and stealing a quick kiss. "And, honestly, I can deal with the typical pregnancy dramatics, but I just do _not_ want to deal with you after a night on that couch," she teased, slipping away before Callie could respond with more than a dropped jaw.

Without moving from her spot in their bathroom, Callie called after her, "I guess someone doesn't want to deal with all the extra pregnancy sex, either!" A smirk graced her lips when Arizona immediately stopped fleeing and spun back to her. Pregnancy hormones had been _very _good to them so far, with no end in sight. Now was it Arizona's turn to get woken up at all hours just because Callie couldn't wait any longer. Callie just shrugged as their playful gazes met. "I could always take care of it myself, I guess, but…"

"That's not funny, Calliope," Arizona said, moving back toward her slowly, noticing that Callie had shifted so that she would be boxed in between Arizona herself and the bed. "I take my marital rights _very_ seriously."

"Well, like you said, we're married, sweetness. For better or worse," Callie teased her lightly. "So if you want the sex, you've got to put up with the potential backache and bad attitude too."

Arizona nodded, dimples beaming at her. "But there's a way around us sleeping on the couch. We'll just sleep in one of the boys' rooms. You don't think Aria will want to stay here, do you?"

"Nah, she'll be at the Archfield, I'm sure. You think you can stand the boys' rooms, babe?" asked Callie with a laugh. And did they really want to inflict either bedroom on Arizona's psyche? They'd both been witness to a lot of other people, people she loved and was close to, having sex in them…

"Oh, I think we're getting entirely new sheets." Arizona's blue eyes were wide and she shuddered.

In the end, everyone came over for breakfast to celebrate Tim's birthday, a tag-team affair between Callie and Barbara. Arizona had to steal bacon off Callie's plate more than once, getting a glare every time.

A few of Tim's Marine buddies took him out for drinks on the night of his birthday and Arizona, Callie, Teddy, and Alex, who all had to work, went out to Joe's for a nightcap while the elder Robbins had a date night.

The doctors' bar could get loud occasionally (the hospital was a dramatic place), but it was a different level of noise when the military guys showed up. Arizona was sitting on the outside of the booth and caught her brother's eye, Tim sending her a smirk and an apologetic shrug.

Callie followed her gaze and grinned at her brother-in-law, leaning her head over onto Arizona's shoulder. "Tired?" the blonde asked considerately, her voice low. "We can go home."

Callie shook her head, taking a sip from her counterfeit beer bottle, Joe happily helping them with the subterfuge by refilling it with water every time Arizona took their glasses up for a refill. "It's still early." She finished her drink. "But I do need to go to the bathroom. Who needs another? I'll get them while I'm up." Arizona slipped off the bench to let her out, Alex pushing his scotch glass to the edge of the table. "Teddy, more wine?"

The heart surgeon eyed her glass for a moment, seeing Tim throw back a shot at the bar. And this wasn't their first stop. "Sure, one more," she decided. If she was going home with a drunk guy, she might as well have a little buzz.

"I'll be right back," Callie said with a smile, gathering the two glasses and her own bottle, Arizona still nursing her own white wine. She dropped them off at the bar, shooting the bartender a wink as she passed the counter and went through the crowd to the restroom. She wondered idly if he'd guessed the reason behind their subterfuge with her beer. He would never spill the beans though.

Returning a few minutes later, she leaned on the corner of the bar to wait patiently for their drinks, the bar crowded. A guy, one of Tim's Marine buddies, took up a position next to her and greeted her, not caring that she just smiled politely, clearly not interested. "Hey, baby, let me get those for you," he offered, sliding money across the bar to Joe, who exchanged amused glances with Callie. "And don't rush off. Stay and drink them with me, how 'bout?"

Callie eyed her beer bottle, the wine glass, and Alex's scotch. If she was drinking all of those herself, she'd be in for a rough night. "Oh, thank you for the offer, but I'm here with people," she said, trying to be gracious and paying herself. "You guys have a good night." Tim gave her a wink over the other guy's head and she smirked at him, shaking her head as she picked up her drinks.

Arizona gave her a quick kiss as she sat down, putting her free hand possessively high on Callie's leg. It wasn't new that the gorgeous Latina got attention when they went out, but she still liked to stake her claim. Anyone from the hospital knew that they were happily married and that there was no chance with either of them, but drunk Marines were a different story. Callie carrying her child only encouraged those protective instincts. "Nice guy?" she questioned lightly, teasing. And Callie wasn't noticeably pregnant yet, but she had the glow for sure. It was utterly gorgeous.

"Hey, I could have just gotten us free drinks," Callie countered, kissing her again softly.

Arizona scoffed. "Of course you could have, baby." There was never a question about that. Callie could walk into any bar in any city and get a drink in minutes, she had no doubt.

At the bar Tim nursed his beer, looking sideways when an elbow bumped his side. "Hey, man, check it out. No wonder that chick wouldn't give me a shot. Lesbians, man." Tim's brows furrowed. "Hot lesbians." He glanced over his shoulder to where Callie and Arizona were sitting with Teddy and Alex. "If that one won't turn, I bet I could flip the blonde one."

"Hey!" Tim barked shortly. "Shut up, man!"

"What?" his drunken friend questioned. "It's hot chicks!"

"I'm serious. Shut up." Tim was clearly stern, but the other man paid it no notice.

"What? I'm just talking about nailing some hot chicks. Maybe they'd let me watch…"

Pushing his stool back from the bar, Tim abruptly punched the other man in the face. The surprised and drunken Marine tumbled off his seat. "That's my sister, asshole!" His friend scrambled up shakily onto his feet, Tim pushing him back with one hand and he thought better of retaliation. "And her wife," Tim added, warning clear in his posture as he glanced around at his friends. "We got a problem here?"

Looking past Tim to where half the bar was watching, including Callie and Arizona, he shook his head, retaking his seat. "Sorry, bro. I didn't know. And I didn't mean nothing by it." Leaning back, he waved to the table. "I'm sorry, ladies."

Arizona, familiar with the reaction she normally got from Tim's friends when they realized she was a lesbian, just nodded, her expression stiff. Callie smiled weakly and glanced at Arizona beside her. "Hey," she whispered, drawing blue eyes. "Love you."

"I love you," Arizona echoed her. Below the table, Callie pulled on the hand from her thigh and slid it up to her belly, Arizona's smile instantly becoming natural and real. "I _love _you," she repeated herself on a soft sigh.

Callie's smile was dazzling and she took a sip of her fake beer, saluting her bottle toward Tim. "Happy birthday, brother," she called. She leaned into Arizona's side, the blonde's hand still on her middle, her fingers stroking lightly over the fabric of her shirt. Their baby was sleeping under her partner's hand, growing bigger every day. It was a happy, overwhelming thought. And soon, they would be telling everyone.

"Patience," Arizona murmured into her hair, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "One more day."


	62. Chapter 51

***** Chapter 51 *****

The dinner had been going well, but it didn't stop Arizona's knee from bouncing under the table. Callie was sitting at her side and she put a hand on her leg without looking away from her conversation with Barbara.

Aria was cracking up Tim and the Colonel while Alex and Teddy were discussing a case, leaving Arizona to quietly foster her anxiety.

"You want to do it now?" Callie whispered, leaning over to speak into her ear. It was sweet to remember that Arizona had been the one telling her to be patient yesterday.

Arizona jumped, eyes wide. "What?"

Sensing her wife's misunderstanding, Callie just smirked, shaking her head and kissing her cheek. "Do the talking thing, sweetheart," she clarified. Arizona was clearly nervous and Callie couldn't help kissing her face again. It was seriously cute to see her normally cheerful and confident partner so out of her depth. Not that she'd ever say that to her. "Do you want me to start?" Callie offered sweetly.

Arizona just blinked at her and Callie stood up, clinking her butter knife against the rim of her glass, again filled with water, to draw the attention of the table. "Hey, everybody," she greeted them with a smile. "I don't know if any of you suspect we have an ulterior motive for inviting you all here…"

"What'd you do?" Alex asked from his side of the table, chuckling.

"But you'd be right," finished the Latina with a grin, Arizona standing up beside her to take her hand. "We have something we want to tell you all, and we wanted to get everyone together so we could do it the one time."

Arizona cleared her throat and picked up the thread, "And we didn't want to overshadow Timmy's birthday…"

"As if you could!" he scoffed, toasting his sister with a laugh.

Dimples popped as she smiled at him, her eyes scanning both sides of the table. This was their family. And this was happy news. But she was still nervous as hell. Setting her eyes on Tim, he gave a comforting nod. His eyes were curious, almost knowing. He was the only one besides Addison that had even a hint that they were planning for kids. And she looked up to find the loving brown eyes that were her whole world. Callie gave her a nod, freeing her to say it however she wanted.

"Okay, here it goes," Arizona said without looking away from Callie's gaze. "We're having a baby. Calliope is pregnant." She heard the shocked breaths from her mother and Aria and Teddy, could already see the smile she knew was on Tim's face. But she didn't blink back the tears that welled in her eyes, just stared into Callie's face, trying to drink in every detail of her expression at that moment. Because she was breathtaking. "I love you," Arizona whispered, the hand that wasn't holding Callie's sliding across her face and into her hair to pull her into a short, soft kiss.

"I love you more," answered Callie in the same tone. Arizona shook her head, dimples so deep on her cheeks it looked like they might never go away again. She would have sworn it was impossible, but the devotion and care that Arizona already gave their child made her love her more. And she had known from their first meeting that Arizona was beautiful and charming and smart and funny, but watching her love their unborn baby, it gave her whole new levels of appreciation and love for her wife. "Yes, I do," Callie insisted lightly, cut off by another, longer kiss. It was still soft and sweet though.

Arizona finally blinked and the tears broke free, sliding slowly down her cheeks. "Well, then I love you _both_," she whispered, adding, "more," at the last second as she drew Callie into another kiss.

A throat clearing from the Colonel separated them, Callie arching a slow eyebrow in challenge at her wife before they turned to face the table again. Arizona's hand slid over the invisible bump once before she faced her parents.

Barbara was crying and laughing and grinning, and even the Colonel looked emotional. "Arizona…" Without a pause, her mom rounded the table to hug them both, Tim grinning at his sister when she sent him a confused, panicky smile over their mother's shoulder. "Callie…" The other woman was hauled with surprising strength into the embrace. "You're having a baby?"

"Yes, Mom, we're having a baby," Arizona answered her, her own tone soft. "I know you didn't expect it from me, but you're going to be a grandmother. Okay?" she asked tenderly, leaning back to meet her mother's teary eyes.

"Arizona, I am so happy for you both," her mother promised her, eyes jumping between both faces. "Because I can see how happy you are, baby." One hand stroked her daughter's cheek. "I can see how much you both already love your baby." She sighed happily, her other hand finding Callie's face. "And everyone can see how much you two love each other. So you're going to have a very lucky little one, being in the middle of so much love."

Arizona was choked up, nodding and squeezing her mother's hand against her face. "Thanks Mom," she said hoarsely, Callie's fingers winding through her free hand and she clung to her grip tightly.

"We love you," Barbara told them with a smile, her expression making it clear where Arizona had gotten her own giddy, happy smile. "All of you." She reached behind her and dragged her husband into the quiet conversation. "Say something, Daniel."

"Congratulations," the Colonel chimed in, offering each a handshake and then, when Tim cleared his throat and nodded toward them sharply, a hug.

Aria stood up next, but she just slugged Callie in the shoulder. "So you're knocked up." Her expression was unreadable, but she smiled abruptly. "Good going."

Callie rolled her eyes and jerked her little sister into a hug, resisting the urge to use knuckles to ruin her hairdo. "I'm knocked up," she confirmed. "And you're going to be an aunt."

The younger Torres considered that for a second, nodding. "I can work that," she declared, kissing her sister on the cheek and laughing when Callie could just blink at her in surprise. "Hey, I'm happy for you."

Tim stood up to hug both of them in a three person embrace, kissing each of them on the forehead. "Love you guys." Arizona swallowed hard and tried to choke down her emotion, Tim grinning at Callie. "She was like this before your wedding too," he said happily, Arizona aiming a blow toward his stomach that he easily dodged, breaking the tight confines of their hug.

Teddy eagerly offered hugs and called dibs on being godmother, while Alex gave them both a quick, awkward hug, scratched the back of his head, and took his seat back.

Barbara had been wrangled back into her chair by the Colonel, but was practically bouncing in her spot. "She's already planning a baby shower in her head," Arizona leaned over to whisper dryly, watching her mother. Callie just smiled. It was sweet how excited Barbara was. Almost as sweet as how excited Arizona was. "Alright, well, I'm sure you've all got some questions, so…" Arizona offered.

There was a clamor of voices from the women at the table and Callie interjected with a laugh, "One at a time."

"When are you due?" was the first one that was understandable from the next surge of questions and Arizona fielded it.

"She's two and a half months along, so the due date right now is set for early December." It was actually December 7th, but there was no way in hell she was going to mention that to her father. Callie's hand rubbed her thigh gently, offering quiet sympathy. She knew how much it had shocked Arizona to have the date her grandfather had died attached to their baby's birth.

"Are you going to find out if it's a girl or a boy?" Aria asked.

They glanced sideways at each other and Callie shook her head. "No, actually. We want a surprise. But Arizona says 'she' when she talks to the baby." Barbara let out an almost involuntary squeak of excitement and Arizona narrowed her eyes at her wife, shaking her head slowly from side to side.

"Have you picked any names yet?" Teddy asked. "Because Theodora - it sucks. Avoid it," she advised, the others laughing.

"Alex is good," Karev chimed in. "And it works for either one."

Still laughing, Arizona just shook her head. "We'll take that into consideration, Karev. And, yeah, I know Tim is nice too," she said before her brother could suggest it. "And Daniel, too, Dad. All of the possible family legacy names are being considered."

"Little Arizona?" Tim joked, shooting his sister a wicked smirk.

"Okay, _almost_ all the family legacy names are making the list," she corrected herself. She respected her grandfather's legacy, but she would never do that to another generation.

Callie laughed, clapping her hands in delight. "Little Arizona! I love it!"

Blue eyes just narrowed more sharply at her. "No," Arizona declared flatly. "Calliope, no. If Little Arizona is in consideration, so is Little Calliope." That succeeded in wiping the smirk off her face (though it made the one on Aria's lips grow) and Arizona nodded in satisfaction. "That's what I thought."

"Did Addison help?" Teddy asked, familiar with the blonde's friend and what she did for a living.

Glancing at each other, Arizona nodded and Callie spoke up, "Yeah, we went down to L.A. and they helped us out with everything." They were being vague, but everyone knew the realities of their situation and didn't push.

"When can we throw a baby shower?" Barbara asked eagerly, changing the subject to what she really wanted to know.

Arizona just laughed. "Told you so." The other women at the table started planning without them. "When she gets so happy that she kisses you, you have no one but yourself to blame," she advised under her breath. "And I won't protect you from it either."

Callie smiled, kissing Arizona herself. "You'd really let your _mom_ lay one on me?"

Blue eyes blinked and she shook her head. "Okay, gross, no, I wouldn't. And do you really have to tell everybody that I'm…"

"A sweet, dorky mom?" Callie finished, lightly teasing her. "Yes, because I love it, Arizona. And you'll be a sweet, dorky mom out in public in about six months." Arizona rolled her eyes, grimacing. This was going to be a _long_ pregnancy… "Hey," Callie called her attention back to her softly. "I know I have to be disgusting to you right now. But I'm _happy_. I have you. And you're giving me my dream. I'm having a baby with the woman I love. So I'm so, _so_ happy. But I'm sorry if it's making you want to puke."

Arizona nodded, smiling. "I'm just not a baby shower person. It's okay…"

"How about this? Whenever we have the baby shower, whenever it is, after that we'll go away for the weekend or something, okay? Just the two of us, and we'll do whatever you want to do for a few days," Callie offered.

Her smile became more natural and she slid her hand back to Callie's stomach, her other arm sliding across the back of Callie's chair. "And I have to come to the baby shower?" she checked.

"Yes!" Callie rolled her eyes. "You have to come to the baby shower and play all the stupid games and help open all the little presents. And you have permission to hate me during the whole thing," she promised with a smile.

"But then I get to take you away for the weekend?"

"Yes," the brunette sighed, watching Arizona's smile grow.

"Okay, I'm in," she agreed finally. "And I'll _try_ not to rain on your parade too much."

Callie's eyebrow rose slowly. "Thank you." She leaned forward for a soft kiss. "But you were already in. I'm not raising this baby by myself!"

Arizona nipped her lip in rebuke. "That's not what I meant and you know it! You're _absolutely_ not raising this baby without me." Another kiss, keeping it chaste in front of their friends and family. But she couldn't just _not_ kiss her. Because as happy as Callie was, so was she. They were in love, married, and having a baby.

"One other thing," Callie whispered as they separated. "You're being great with the baby shower stuff, and dealing with my need for coffee, and the emotional stuff…"

"What more could you _possibly_ want from me?" Arizona joked, rubbing her hand across the back of her wife's shoulders.

Callie smirked at the teasing, eyebrow rising. "How about another exchange?"

Intrigued, Arizona hummed in consideration. "What've you got in mind, Calliope?" It was a joke and they both knew it. She would do anything for Callie - including pasting on a smile and sitting through what was sure to be more than one baby shower.

"Foot rubs for sexual favors," Callie proposed simply, enjoying the way Arizona's blue eyes instantly went wide. "My feet are killing me…"

"Deal, deal, deal, deal," the blonde chattered, dragging her in for another kiss. "And just for the record, I wanted us to go to L.A. in a few weeks and see Addison, tell her about the baby, and I don't think that that…"

"That won't count as your weekend away," she promised, rolling her eyes. Arizona just grinned. It might be a long pregnancy and she might feel entirely out of her comfort zone for the next six months, but she was doing all of this with Callie. Then the baby would be there and they would _both _be out of their comfort zone.

She kind of couldn't wait…


	63. Chapter 52

Callie knew that she was overeager and kind of insane and that it was driving Arizona crazy, but she just couldn't help herself. She just pretended not to notice the blonde's huffs and sighs from the side wall while she directed Tim, Alex, and Mark in setting up tables for her latest baby shower.

Barbara had thrown one for them with all of Arizona's aunts and girl cousins, and Arizona had kept her game face on and ridden out the two hours of girly, squealing, giggly festivities. But Callie had wanted one at work with their friends and Teddy had backed her up and here they were setting up what Arizona desperately hoped was the last one. She had a feeling that their friends could come up with more humiliating games she'd have to play than her relatives had come up with.

So she kept quiet and tried to stick close to the wall. Because she did _not_ want anyone thinking that it was okay to shove a balloon up her shirt, damn it! Callie glanced her way and she quickly mustered a smile for her benefit. If anything at these stupid parties (had Callie really just said 'scrapbook station?') could make her smile (onesie decorating? Seriously?), it was the sight of her visibly pregnant wife. They were a month past the halfway marker and Callie was glowing.

"Babe, have you seen the tablecloths for these long tables?" Callie was rooting through a shopping bag without success. "I can't find them."

Arizona shook her head. "No, I haven't seen them. I'll go look in the lockers, okay?" she volunteered willingly, anything to get out of the party zone. She was the one who preferred pastels and pink, but that room was making her rethink things. Maybe they should repaint the house… Callie _had_ remarked more than once about living in an Easter basket.

Sending her a knowing look, Callie smirked. "Great, baby, thank you."

Arizona blew her a kiss and was out the door at _slightly_ less than a run.

Finding the tablecloths she'd been sent in search of in the bottom of Callie's locker, Arizona opted to take the long way back to the party preparations. And maybe she'd find someone who was invited and she could remind them about it, she mentally justified herself. A call from the nurses' station as she cut through the lobby was another delay and she wheeled over.

"Dr. Robbins, this guy says he's here looking for Dr. Torres," the woman on the other side of the counter told her, gesturing to an older Hispanic man who lingered at the far end of the desk. "Should I page her, or…?"

It wasn't too hard to figure out that he was most likely Callie's father and Arizona mentally cursed. And then she cursed aloud, muttering, "Shit," under her breath as she dug her phone out of her lab coat and sent a text to Callie. "Okay, thanks, Denise, I got this."

Of course Calliope's father would show up on the day of her baby shower. And on a day when she was undeniably pregnant. Shit, shit, shit… Impatient with waiting for Callie to respond to the text, she thumbed the screen to call her.

"Arizona, hey, did you find those tablecloths?"

Glancing at the man who still hadn't turned to see her, Arizona kept her voice down, "Yeah, I've got them…"

"Great, well, get your cute butt back here with them, okay?" Callie requested cheerfully. She was so happy about her baby shower and that was all about to blow to hell. Damn it.

"Callie…"

Her shortened name got her attention and she finally focused on the serious tone in her partner's voice. "What's going on?"

Arizona cleared her throat nervously. "Listen, Calliope, there's a man here at the lobby desk… I think it's your father." There was a stupefied silence on the other side of the phone and Arizona could hear Tim's voice in the background.

Then there was a strange noise and fumbling on the phone and he was speaking into her ear, "Arizona? Is that you?"

"Tim, what happened?" Arizona demanded, forgetting to keep her voice down.

"You tell me," he answered, voice strained. "Callie just fainted." Hearing his sister's shocked gasp, he continued quickly, "Don't worry, me and Mark caught her before she hit the floor, but what the hell? Where are you?"

Shaking her head, Arizona was already moving. "I'm on my way. Tell Sloan or Karev to get a wheelchair or a stretcher and get her into it. I'll be right there." Forgetting about the pair of plastic tablecloths she had pinned under her arm, she dashed right past the presumed Mr. Torres and pounded on the elevator button before thinking better of the wait and ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Skidding through the doorway of the doctor's lounge they'd commandeered for the shower, Arizona almost fell herself as her wheel caught traction at an inopportune time and sent her stumbling into the doorframe. The men had just lifted a protesting Callie into a chair and Arizona was across the room in a heartbeat, kneeling in front of her. "Calliope…"

"We're okay," she was already insisting, though she didn't stop Arizona from stroking a hand over her rounded belly. There was a reassuring kick against her touch and their eyes met. The baby always knew when it was Arizona's hand touching them and would move for her. And at night, the little one wouldn't settle down until Arizona talked to Callie's belly for a few minutes.

"You fainted?" Arizona breathed, reassured but still anxious.

Callie leaned her head back to look up at Tim and Mark, both still lingering close. "I didn't even touch the floor," she promised. "Thanks to you guys."

Tim just winked, one hand resting on her shoulder for a second before he crossed his arms over his chest. "No problem, Torres," Mark added, looking surprised when Arizona shot to her feet to kiss his cheek. Tim and Callie just exchanged amused looks. Mark could be a flirt, but for the most part he was a nice guy. Arizona only really warmed up to him when he'd done something to help Callie and that marked the second time that she'd ever kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, where's mine?" Callie requested, stubbornly standing up from the wheelchair. Arizona glared but gave her a soft kiss. "Now, did you say that my dad's here?"

Swallowing hard at the reminder, the new arrival pushed completely out of her head as soon as Callie had fainted, Arizona nodded hesitantly. "I don't know for sure, but the nurse said he was here looking for you and he definitely looks like a relative. Same height as you, white hair, bald on top, and he has a beard and a mustache?" she described him briefly.

Callie sighed, glancing from Arizona down at her clearly pregnant stomach. "That's him."

"What do you want to do, sweetheart?" Arizona asked after an extended quiet moment, the guys scattering to their tasks. Tim snuck away with the abandoned tablecloths to set up the onesie decorating station. Alex was already drawing something on a scrapbook page and Mark went to look, offering a purple glitter pen after a glance at his drawing. Alex considered it, glancing between his page and the pen, finally taking it while Mark took the rest of the supplies to help Tim.

Taking a shuddering breath, Callie looked back up at Arizona. "I guess I should talk to him, right?"

"Calliope, I will go back down there and tell him to leave if you don't want to talk to him," Arizona offered. "Today's your baby shower. And it's going to be awesome…"

That got a small smile. "You're such a liar," Callie whispered. "I know you're just doing it for me."

"Going to a baby shower is the least of what I would do for you," declared the blonde firmly, her expression making it clear that she was serious. "And if you don't want to see your father today, I will go tell him that. Or if you do, I will go down there with you. Or we can send Tim to beat him up…"

The Marine looked up at the sound of his name. "What? I'm beating somebody up?"

"Possibly," Arizona said without looking away from Callie's face, both of them smiling now. "You good with that?"

"Just point me at 'em," he said, shrugging broad shoulders.

Mark cleared his throat from the other side of the table. "Um, not making a suggestion, just checking, but it's not me, is it?" Tim looked up from organizing again to grin at the other man. They were nearly the same size, each in good shape, but Tim just eyed him as though he wouldn't blink twice about twisting the Plastic surgeon into a pretzel if his sister or Callie asked it of him.

"No, Mark," Callie answered, rolling her eyes and making Arizona's dimples spring into view. "And Tim, you don't have to beat anybody up. I appreciate that you would though."

"Whatever you want, Cal," he agreed easily, going back to sorting the paint pens on the table.

"It's whatever you want, Calliope," Arizona echoed, taking both of her wife's hands and brushing her fingers across the bare spot where her wedding rings normally lived. Occasionally swollen fingers meant that for the duration of the pregnancy, they were living on the silver heart necklace Arizona had given her a few months after they'd gotten engaged.

Callie grimaced at the reminder that she couldn't wear her ring and couldn't help glancing down to catch sight of them on the chain around her neck. "I do want to see him, talk to him," she declared softly. Nothing fostered the feeling of reaching out to family quite like having a child of her own on the way. "But not today. We're having a party and he's not going to… understand this." She glanced again at her belly. "Maybe we could meet with him tomorrow?"

Nodding immediately, Arizona squeezed her hands gently, taking a step closer so that the bump of their child pressed into her own abdomen. The baby kicked her again and she smiled helplessly. "You know, with all this kicking at me, I'm kind of scared for when she gets out of there," she commented teasingly, voice a quiet whisper.

"She just likes you better than me," Callie countered, smile growing at Arizona's instant scoff of denial.

"Bull, Calliope…" Leaning in, they kissed softly for a second. "I'll go tell your dad that you're busy, okay?" She took a step back and hesitated, their hands still linked. "Who should I tell him that I am? Nameless helpful person?"

Callie's frown was instantaneous. "You better not! You are my wife and the mother of my child," she stated. Her expression softened at the soft smile that declaration put on Arizona's face. "I told him about you, Arizona. When I saw him in Miami. I told him I was with a smart, perky, funny, beautiful, blonde kid surgeon."

"What about the baby? Do I tell him, or…?"

Considering, Callie chewed on her bottom lip. "Not yet. If he sticks around to talk to us, we'll tell him together tomorrow."

Nodding, Arizona swallowed again, starting to feel nervous. But better she do this than have Callie do it and ruin her baby shower and risk fainting again when the men weren't there to help catch her. "Okay," she pulled Callie's hands to her mouth to kiss the backs of them. "I love you."

"Love you too," Callie echoed.

As she was leaving the lounge, Arizona had to dodge the first of their guests, some hyper fifth year putting a plastic tiara on her head before she could avoid it. A glance behind her at Callie got her no sympathy, the Latina grinning happily and clasping both hands to her chest.

Pulling it out of her hair as she went back down the stairs, she tucked the plastic crown in the pocket of her lab coat carefully, sure she wouldn't get away with 'losing' it while she was gone on her errand. She gathered her nerve as she jogged back down the stairs, wanting to make this as quick a trip as possible.

Mr. Torres was looking at something on his phone, but he looked up when Arizona stopped in front of him. "Hello, Mr. Torres. I'm Arizona Robbins…"

"You're dating my daughter," he finished for her, looking uncomfortable with the announcement.

He certainly wasn't going to like the news of their change in marital status, then. "Actually, sir, we got married." His expression flickered, but he hesitantly shook the hand she offered. "And I told Calliope you were here, but she's busy with something right now. She was hoping you'd be free to talk tomorrow?"

Surveying her, Mr. Torres nodded brusquely. "I believe I saw a bar across the street?"

"Yes sir," Arizona confirmed. "We'd be happy to meet you there whenever you'd like." The plural was intentional - whatever Callie faced here, she would be at her side.

"Noon?"

"Yes sir," she repeated herself. "See you then, sir." Leaving him to watch her walk away, she didn't look back. His disapproval was not allowed to break them. They were happy. They were having a baby. But she found herself already defensive in spite of the reassurances. She wished she could protect Callie from the potential heartache this meeting could bring her.

Pushing it out of her head as much as she could, she fished the tiara out of her pocket and slapped it back on top of her head, mustering her happy, expectant parent smile. Because she really was eager to be a parent with Calliope. She just didn't love the baby shower aspect of it.

But she knew how much Callie wanted this, and she loved her wife, so she didn't let the smile slip when she reentered the party to find the guests winding a tape measure around a twirling Callie. She did try and cling to the wall, but Tim betrayed her, pushing her into the center of the room and calling, "Look at who I found!"

Shooting him a glare over her shoulder and hissing, "Traitor," at him, Arizona stumbled forward and mustered another grin for Callie. "Having fun?" she asked lightly, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Yes!" Callie glanced down at the measuring tape around her. "But don't look at that," she requested. "I don't want you seeing how big I am!"

Arizona laughed, relieved that Callie was still having a good time. "I'm at all your doctor's appointments, Calliope. I know how big you are."

Callie pouted abruptly. "Can't you _pretend_ that you don't know how fat I am?"

Laughing, Arizona slipped a hand over her stomach. "You are _not_ fat, baby. You're having our _baby_." She checked the tape measure and raised her voice to announce, "And whoever had thirty-six, you win."

"Ari-_zona_," whined Callie, grumping at her.

The blonde just smiled, shaking her head. "Don't make that face at me," she requested cheerfully. "You are most definitely not fat. You are gorgeous, and sexy, and I absolutely cannot get enough of you," she promised, still touching her stomach.

"Yeah?" Callie asked, pleading for reassurance.

"Definitely," promised Arizona earnestly and immediately. The look in her eyes told the truth. She was attracted to her wife. It was that simple. She _wanted_ her. The fact that she was carrying their baby didn't change anything. If anything, it made her more beautiful. "Calliope, you are _stunning_."

"It's Arizona's turn now!" Tim called, drawing a malevolent glare from his sister as he came forward with a balloon for her to stuff under her scrub top. He handed it off to her with a grin and straightened her tiara when Arizona turned to try and get support from Callie.

She just shook her head, smiling. "You're a mother too, Arizona. Play the game. I wouldn't want to keep all the fun for myself!"

Rolling her eyes, Arizona stuffed the helium balloon underneath her scrub top and let Meredith Grey wrap the tape measure around her enhanced waistline. Callie just kept grinning, clapping happily at the sight of her humiliation. "You're _so _lucky I love you, Calliope," the blonde grumbled, seizing the collar of her partner's blouse and hauling her in for a kiss. The added complications of two bumps in the middle made it a bit of a fumbling dance and someone snapped a picture.

Tim eagerly took up the guesses at Arizona's girth, happily offering Callie a piece of paper and a pen. "What's the damage?" he asked Meredith entirely too gleefully.

"Thirty-eight!" she announced, vacating Arizona's area without wasting time. Everyone knew how Arizona felt about the baby shower.

Arizona sent Callie an exaggerated smile. "See? Who's fat here?" she joked, gesturing between them.

The games stopped in favor of presents, much to Arizona's relief, and she wandered the room, looking at the onesies their friends had made them. Yang had drawn an anatomically accurate heart on hers, while Meredith had made what appeared to be a black hole on her own. Alex was busy coloring in blue scrubs on his and he gave her a sheepish grin. "I like it," she offered her approval.

By far her favorite was the one Tim had made that said 'I love my mommies' on the front with a neat red heart in the middle.


	64. Chapter 53 pt 1

Callie was cursing Arizona's polite promptness as well as her own inability to drink almost equally as they waited in the bar for her father. Joe had started to offer her a sympathetic shot, but at Arizona's sharp glance he drank it himself.

The bar was mostly empty, Joe having just opened for the day, and they all heard the doors at the top of stairs open to admit Carlos, Callie taking a seat at the table at the last second. She wanted to tell her father everything, talk to him if she could, but stunning him with the news that she was only a few months away from having a baby wasn't the best way she could think of to get things started.

Carlos froze just inside the room, staring at her for a long moment before joining them at the table. "May I sit?"

"Please." Callie nodded, gesturing toward the other side of the booth. She was calm and collected, in control. This was Dr. Torres at her most professional. And they hadn't talked about expectations or how they were going to deal with this entire meeting, but the professional mask wasn't a surprise.

"Would you like a drink, sir?" asked Arizona politely, following Callie's lead of quiet calm.

"They have really good burgers here," Callie added with a tiny smile. Her father had always appreciated a good burger.

Nodding, Carlos managed his own smile. "That would be lovely. Just water to drink, though."

"Be right back, then." Arizona slipped out of the booth with a squeeze to Callie's hand and crossed to the bar.

There was an extended silence, Callie and her father just looking at each other. He looked the same as ever, the same lines around his eyes that crinkled when he would smile, the same neatly trimmed beard, only the look in his eyes was different. The last time she'd seen him in the airport, they'd been too shocked at the random encounter to really talk, but the last time she'd seen him at home his eyes had been harsh, hurt, and hard.

Now he was softer, searching her face. She couldn't help wondering if she looked different to him. It had been years. And she was a different person than she'd been in Miami. She was happy now, for one thing. And finally stable, comfortable with who she was and with the life she was living. Not lonely and desperate and marrying a guy she'd only dated for a few months, but in a healthy, loving, committed relationship with an amazing woman.

"You look well, Calliope," Carlos murmured, the same thing he'd said to her in Miami before they'd parted ways at the airport years earlier.

Smiling almost shyly, Callie ducked her head, hand under the table stroking her stomach. "Thank you, Dad. We're doing very well." Her life was irrevocably tied to Arizona and there would be no sign of anything else.

"Mija, I don't want it to be like this with us," he said on a sigh. "I just don't know how to talk to you, what to say…"

"Dad, I'm not an entirely new person, here. I've just got something new in my life, something you don't understand, really. But I'm the exact same person I've always been," Callie said patiently, strangely comforted by touching her bump. Outside of not telling Arizona about George sooner, she'd had no regrets since coming to Seattle. "You can talk to me."

Arizona returned with their drinks then, sliding back onto the bench with Callie. She stayed quiet, though. Unless Callie needed her to speak up, her role was strictly moral support.

Clearing his throat, Carlos took a sip of his drink, clearly nervous but trying not to be. "So, Dr. Robbins tells me that you're married."

"Yes, we are. So you can call her Arizona, Dad," Callie gently reminded him, amused in spite of her anxiety. She wasn't doing this for herself. Her reason was under her hand. Their baby deserved everything. And if a little emotional risk here would get their child their grandfather back, she would do it.

"Ahh, yes, like the state…"

"Actually, sir, I was named for the battleship," Arizona interjected lightly. "My grandfather died at Pearl Harbor." Callie slid a comforting hand across to the blonde's knee, leaving the support of their baby to offer some to Arizona. Even if she hadn't said anything, Callie knew having the baby's due date on that day was bothering her too.

"I'm very sorry," Carlos offered. "Arizona…"

"Thank you for that, sir." Arizona leaned back against the bench and was content to be quiet unless spoken to. She did leave her left hand on her leg, knowing Callie would take it if she needed to hold onto her.

Carlos looked a bit uncomfortable with the silence and Callie cleared her throat lightly. "What are you doing here, Dad? It's been years. And you don't agree with a pretty _big _part of my life…"

"Your sister Aria told me that I wouldn't regret meeting your Dr. Robbins," Carlos said. Of course Aria would have something to do with this. He smiled and it made him look almost shy. "She's been quite insistent on the subject, actually. We haven't spoken lately that the pair of you haven't come up," he said with a glance at each of them, exhaling as his eyes settled on Callie. "And I missed you, Calliope. You're my little girl."

"I wasn't your little girl when you cut me off from my own family," Callie shot back, losing her professional cool for a moment. Without even realizing it, her hand slipped into Arizona's on her leg, lacing their fingers so she could nudge her wedding rings back and forth. "You say you miss me, but what do you expect from me here, Dad? Do you expect me to give up my wife, my family, _our_ family, to get a spot back in a family that abandoned me?"

"No, mija. I just wanted to see you, that's all. You're my daughter," answered Carlos. Callie moved their hands to where _their_ baby was. "But you're right - I haven't supported your choices and I hope it's not too late for you to give me a chance, Calliope. All a parent wants for their child is for them to be healthy and happy and safe."

Callie swallowed hard, glancing helplessly at Arizona. That was their biggest worry now too, the health and happiness of their baby. "I can appreciate that, Dad, more than you know, but it's not so simple…"

Arizona gave her a supportive nod, willing to back whatever she decided to do. And she was happy that her father was _finally _starting to come around, but she had her own, well earned, reservations after her previous betrayals and abandonment. She wouldn't let anyone, even her own father, do that to her child if she could stop it. Meeting loving blue eyes, she got another nod from Arizona and she mustered her nerve.

"Dad, you really don't know what it means to me that you're here, talking like this, but there's something else you need to know…" Callie started slowly, waiting for a nod from her father before she continued. "I really am glad to see you, and I hope you can realize that loving women, loving Arizona, hasn't changed me, but just made me better, _she_ makes me better, happier than I've ever been in my life," Arizona smiled at her lap, squeezing her fingers gently, "But we've got something we need to tell you before you decide if you can be in our life or not."

"Calliope…"

"Dad, we're having a baby," Callie cut him off gently, watching his blue eyes flicker between the pair of them. "I'm pregnant." He blinked but didn't say anything and Callie held her breath for a second, waiting for him to leave the booth and go up the stairs and back out of her life.

Clearing her throat, Arizona spoke up softly, "And we'd like for you to be a part of their life, but if this isn't something you can deal with, you need to decide now. We can't have you walking out on our baby somewhere down the line." Even quiet and respectful in tone, it was clear that it wasn't a discussion. There was no bargaining when it came to their child.

However, if the look on his face was being interpreted correctly, he was already instantly entranced by the idea of being a grandfather. That couldn't be all he was, though. If he wanted to be part of the baby's life, if he wanted to be a grandpa, he needed to be a father first. Callie deserved better than that from her dad.

"Calliope…" Her name never sounded right from anyone but Arizona. "A baby? When did - how long…?"

"I'm due in a few months," Callie answered him, still cautious. He was taking this better than she'd expected, but last time she'd expected understanding from him she'd been sorely disappointed.

"A girl or a boy?"

"We don't know," she said. "We're going to be surprised."

"Can I…?" he hesitated, "Could I see you? Would you?" He gestured toward the edge of the table.

"Stand up?" Callie checked.

"I'd like to look at you."

Arizona promptly slid off the outside of the booth, waving at Joe when he signaled that their lunch was ready. Callie sent her a nervous smile, but the blonde was looking at her the way she always looked at her and the nerves eased. No matter what her father thought, Arizona loved her. And Arizona thought she was beautiful.

Squeezing their laced fingers, Arizona just pressed a kiss to her cheek. Calliope was stunning. The baby had only added to her partner's luscious curves and she loved it. "You're incredible," she whispered, smiling when their eyes met. "Miraculous," she continued. "I can't stop looking at you."

"Suck up," Callie returned with a joke to keep herself from tearing up. These hormones were completely wrecking her badass, hardcore persona. But she had never had to be that person with Arizona. And even if she was a weepy mess now, Arizona still looked at her like _that_,the way she was looking at her currently.

"No, Calliope, she's right," Carlos interjected softly. "You're beautiful." His eyes were hazy with tears and he blinked them back.

Joe brought their plates to the table and Arizona ushered Callie back into her seat, the brunette unable to help a smile at her wife's protective instincts. She loved this woman more than anything.

There was a quiet minute as Carlos prayed silently over his food and Arizona was the first to speak, "So, Mr. Torres, what are you thinking?"

His eyes scanned her face for a second before moving to Callie and lingering on her. "I think that I've missed a lot of my daughter's life. I don't want to miss my grandchild's life." Carlos took a breath. "You have every right not to trust me, I see that. But, Calliope, I'd like to talk. We used to talk every Sunday. And even when you were in trouble, you'd still call. Perhaps we could start there?"

Callie nodded slowly. "I'd like that." It was a start, but she had no expectations that this would lead to a reconciliation. It had been years and she had a new life now, one not tied to her father's approval. She had Arizona and their baby, their friends and family. She didn't need more than that.

"Are you happy?" he asked, knowing the answer before she could say it. It was all over her face.

"Dad, _yes_! We're very happy," she answered him anyway. Her eyes found Arizona beside her. "She makes me _very_ happy."

"I love your daughter," Arizona said softly. "And I protect the things I love. But I don't need to. She doesn't need it. She's strong and caring and honorable. She's who you raised her to be. So thank you. Because you raised a wonderful, amazing woman."

Unable to deny the emotions choking her but still not wanting to cry, Callie leaned her head over onto Arizona's shoulder, the blonde wrapping an arm around her. "I feel like I should call your dad and tell him how awesome you are now," she whispered, joking again to keep the tears at bay.

"Calliope, I have always been this awesome," Arizona teased, laughing when Callie's stomach grumbled. "Feed our baby, baby," she said, turning her head to kiss the top of her head before Callie sat back up straight.

Carlos was watching their interaction quietly, a small smile on his lips. "Excuse us, Dad," murmured Callie, deliberately stealing a fry from Arizona's plate, grinning when her wife sent her a familiar look, the same one she got when she stole food from her in the cafeteria at lunch. "Let's eat."

While they ate, they chatted, keeping the topics light and casual. By the end of the meal, they were all laughing together as Carlos told them about Callie's first attempt at riding a bike which had resulted in a broken fence and a broken wrist. Of course, the young Calliope had scorned training wheels.

"We're in for trouble, aren't we?" Arizona asked hypothetically, chuckling. She stroked her palm across Callie's belly, smiling happily when the baby kicked her hand. "Hey you, you need to have mercy on us, kiddo," she told the little one, rubbing across Callie's stomach gently and getting a flurry of kicks in reaction. "I think that's a 'no,' Mami," she said, smiling up at Callie.

The Latina smiled back at her, shifting in her spot. "Well, you get her so worked up," she teased. "And she kicks me nonstop." She laughed, pushing lightly at her wife's shoulder with one hand. "And now I have to go to the bathroom."

"Sorry, babe," Arizona said with a quick grin, slipping off the booth bench. She pulled her hand back swiftly, leaning over to talk to Callie's belly again as she moved to stand up. "Stop kicking your Mami, baby," she requested sweetly, Callie sighing in relief.

"I don't know how you do that, but I'm insanely jealous," she said, pushing up on the table to get to her feet while the little one inside of her settled down again.

Arizona watched her go, sitting down on the edge of the bench. "Your parents," Carlos started slowly, drawing her eyes, "they're okay with all of this?"

Considering him, Arizona nodded. "Yes, sir. They're great. And they love Callie." She laughed. "She and my mom usually talk every week, but I think they're up to every other day since we told her about the baby."

The older man sighed heavily, fidgeting with the napkin beside his plate. "I wish she would have called me… I understand why she didn't, but I wish she would have called…"

Arizona was quiet for a long moment, turning on the seat to face him fully. "Sir, I know she's your daughter and that you love her, but she's my wife and I love her too, so I need to say something to you." He gave her a prompting nod. "I'm glad you want to know your grandchild, really I am, but if you're just getting back into Callie's life for the baby, then that's really not fair to Callie. Because she says she can handle it if you cut her off again, and she probably can, but she shouldn't have to. And she shouldn't have to take you back just because you want to be a grandfather. You need to be her father again too, or I'm sorry, but I can't have you in our life. That means you have to try, or you need to leave, right now."

Blue eyes locked and he studied her silently for a moment. "Everything Aria told me about you is true. You're exactly how she said you were. And she told us that you are good for Calliope, that the two of you are happy together. You really love her, don't you?"

"With everything that I have," Arizona answered without the slightest glimmer of doubt or self-consciousness. Loving Calliope Torres was simple. She did it with every breath she took and every heartbeat. "And I love our baby. And I know what it feels like to almost lose them both and it's not something I ever want to go through again. And, sir, I think you know that you'll regret it if you walk away from her again."

"I regret letting her walk away the first time," he acknowledged. "And I think it will take time for me to understand the changes that have happened in her life. But I'm here asking for a chance to try. I love my daughter, Arizona." He breathed deeply again. "Pride makes fools of us all. It's just hard for me. I was always the one to catch her. Now I can see that it's you. You're the one that she counts on not to let her fall."

Arizona shifted her hip on the bench and fished her phone out of her back pocket, pulling up the pictures. "Here," she offered, holding it out to him. "There's pictures of the ultrasounds and just keep scrolling to the right and there's more pictures. They're pretty much all of her," she said with a smile. "So you can see the last year or two at least."

He eagerly took it, looking at the last six months worth of ultrasounds she had saved snaps of on her phone, interspersed with pictures of Callie playing softball, Callie in her scrubs, the two of them in the woods the one and only time they'd gone hiking after Tim had convinced them it would be fun (the highlight of the trip had been when Callie had kissed her cheek just as the camera flashed), Callie cooking with Tim, and Callie at the airport before she'd left for Africa. The picture he stopped on was one she'd had Tim send her from his phone of the two of them in their wedding dresses dancing at the reception. She'd gotten a new phone since the wedding, but she needed that picture with her all the time, so she'd made him forward it to her.

"She was a beautiful bride," he said, hesitating to hand her phone back across the table.

"She's still a beautiful bride," Arizona agreed, dimples framing her soft smile. Neither one noticed that Callie had long since left the bathroom and was sitting at the bar and watching them interact. Arizona did notice his hesitation to give up her phone and she suggested, "Put your number in and I'll send you whichever ones you'd like. Or write down your email and we can send you more that way. We practically filled up the memory card in the camera between the rehearsal dinner and the wedding."

He nodded, swallowing back his emotion as he took a final long look at their wedding picture. "Thank you," he said, his voice hoarse. "You didn't have to be so gracious with me, but I appreciate it." Sliding her phone back to her, he gratefully accepted the pen she offered and jotted down his email address on a square bar napkin. "Did she…" He had to pause, gather himself. "Did she have anyone, at the wedding?"

Sympathetic at the obvious heartbreak he felt over missing it, Arizona covered his hand soothingly. "She did. Aria was there and she stood up with Calliope during the ceremony. And my mom helped her get ready. And my brother walked her down the aisle." He cleared his throat, blinking at the tabletop, and she squeezed his hand lightly. "I can send you a copy of the ceremony too. We've got the video."

Both of them looked up in surprise when Callie made her return to the table, taking the seat beside her father and smiling across the table at her wife. "I haven't been alone, Dad. Not since I came here. I met Arizona the first day I was in Seattle. And I've never been alone since then. We have friends here, family."

"My family likes her better than they like me," Arizona chimed in jokingly, smirking at the look Callie sent her.

"No, they do _not_…"

Arizona winked and agreed sarcastically, "Sure, they don't, babe. You're totally right…" When Carlos smiled at her, she mouthed, "Yes, they do," behind a cupped hand.

"Arizona…" Callie started warningly.

The blonde dropped her hand and endeavored to mock innocence. "Yes, darling?"

Rolling her eyes, Callie turned her gaze back to her father. "Thank you, Dad," she sighed, grateful when he opened his arms and offered a hug.

"I love you, mija," he whispered.

"I love you too," she echoed. "And I'm so glad that you came."

"I'm sorry I was so stubborn, that I missed so much." He pulled back to meet her eyes. "You'll call this time, about the baby?"

Callie smiled, nodding her head. "I'll call on Sunday once we get home," she promised as well. "I promised Arizona a weekend away after she sat through _another _baby shower," she said, lightly teasing her partner.

"Hey, Tim made me play that game and shoved a balloon up my shirt!" Arizona insisted, having completely forgotten about their deal in the suddenness of Carlos' arrival. "I let Meredith measure my waist and then announce it in public! And I watched Karev draw tiny scrubs - you know, actually, that was cute! I still deserve a weekend away though!"

Mr. Torres kissed Callie's cheek lightly. "Well, I won't keep you then."

He started to move when Callie did, but she stopped abruptly and grabbed his hand on the bench. "Here, the baby's kicking." She guided his hand to the top of her stomach, enjoying the wide-eyed fascination on his face. Maybe letting him in again wouldn't turn out so bad, she decided to herself. And if he couldn't handle this, she still had Arizona and their child. And like Arizona reminded her all the time, they had so many people that loved them.


	65. Chapter 53 pt 2

Waking up gradually, the first thing Callie became aware of was her stiff neck. It hurt, popping when she moved. The next was the sound of steady, fast beeping somewhere around her. It reminded her of the heart monitors at the hospital. But they weren't at the hospital. They were on vacation, going on a last quick trip before they became parents, their lives shared with a baby. So that sound was wildly out of place and she shot up, her hands already on her rounded belly.

She was okay though, feeling the reassuring movement under her hand. Her baby was okay, still safe inside her. But the beeping was still going… She lifted her head and jumped as she realized that she was still in their car, the front end of which was only feet away from the back of a tractor trailer. How had they stopped that short and she'd slept through it? And what the hell was that noise?

Turning her head, she got her answer, the driver's door hanging open with the keys still in the ignition. The seat behind the wheel, Arizona's seat, was empty though and she suddenly realized that she could hear her wife shouting even over the steady beeps. Reaching across the vehicle, she twisted the keys and pulled them out of the slot to stop the racket, looking over her shoulder for Arizona.

Climbing out of the car, she tried to go around behind it only to find that another vehicle's bumper was scant inches from their own. Rather than climb across the hood in her condition, she returned and crossed in front of their car, spotting Arizona with her finger in the next car's driver's face as she yelled recriminations at him. Callie could hear the word 'baby' more than once and she rubbed her stomach unconsciously.

"Arizona…" The blonde turned at the sound of her name, though her eyes were wide. "What's going on?" Callie asked, keeping her voice mild. Clearly her wife was panicked by their near accident and was lashing out.

The Peds surgeon's arm waved at the berated man in front of her, Arizona growling, "This complete jack," Callie cleared her throat to cover the rest, giving her a look, "hit us!" She swung her arm the other way, pointing up the road where the eighteen-wheeler was abandoned in the road. "Because this braincase's transmission went out and he thought the best place to leave it would be the middle of a curve on the side of a mountain!"

Callie caught her shoulders with both hands, thumbs sliding across the sides of her neck. Her pulse was racing under her touch. "Okay, well, it doesn't look like there's any damage," she reminded her gently. "And we're all fine here, right?" she checked with the man, who nodded quickly, giving her a grateful look. "Okay, so there's no reason to yell, sweetheart." Arizona's mouth fell open to protest that she had a million reasons to yell, but Callie shook her head. "Come on, let's walk up and see if we can go around the truck and we'll just keep going," she coaxed, pulling Arizona along by the hand to make it clear it was an order rather than just a suggestion.

Once they were past their own car, Callie pushing the door closed on their way, Arizona took a deep breath, releasing some of her tension. "Callie…"

"We're okay," she interjected, knowing how upset Arizona was by the name she'd used. "It's okay."

"He could have killed you! Killed our…" she choked, couldn't say it. "Anything could have happened!"

Callie squeezed her hand, rubbing her thumb across the blonde's knuckles. Pulling on her hand, she pressed Arizona's palm to her belly, both of them feeling their child kick against her touch. "She's fine. I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine." Arizona was still stressed though. "I understand you're scared…"

"But what, Calliope? But it'll never happen again? I'll never get scared that something's going to happen to you or to her? Because that's not possible! We're having a baby! And anything could happen, anytime! I'm going to feel like this for the rest of my life!"

Callie sighed heavily. Arizona had been great so far, dealing with the pregnancy without missing a step. Clearly that was over now. "Sweetheart, you can't live like that. We're okay. We're going to get back in the car, and keep going to our weekend and we're all going to stay okay," she promised. "And, yeah, I'm sure we'll have years scared off our lives down the line somewhere, and you probably know more ways for that to happen than I could even imagine, but we're going to be happy too, Arizona." She turned her, meeting blue eyes steadily, a smile curling the corners of her mouth. "We're going to be _so _happy, and we'll have so much fun, and our kid will be so lucky!"

"Calliope…"

"Shh," Callie hushed her, the baby moving again. "We're happy. Remember that. We're all here, and we're a family, and we're not going anywhere but to this bed and breakfast. Okay?"

Arizona nodded but her expression was conflicted. "I just love you so much, and…"

"And you think I love you any less?" countered Callie patiently, shaking her head. "I can't think about losing you, Arizona. It's like my brain can't comprehend a world where you're not with me. But you're here, and I'm here, and if I worry all the time about you _not_ being here, I'd never get to enjoy having you. I love every minute I get with you, and I don't want to spend them worrying until we have to, okay? We'll be cautious, and careful, and prepare when the baby gets here, but I won't give up my fun, sexy, loving wife, you got it?" she questioned, winking to soften the words.

Scuffing her shoe along the asphalt, Arizona let out a deep breath. "You did this to me, Calliope. This is your fault!"

"Me?" Callie looked shocked. "What did I do?"

"Oh, just stood in front of a gunman, climbed into a sinkhole with our baby inside you, stuff like that! And in case we forget, you fainted, _yesterday_!"

Callie's expression drew down into a frown. "Arizona, I'm sorry I scared you…"

"Losing you scares me! Losing her scares me! I won't do it!" the blonde interjected, shaking her head and gesturing wildly. Callie just stepped into her and wrapped both arms around her, holding her to her as best she could with her bump in between them. "I never wanted to feel like this," she said softly, wrapping both arms up Callie's back. "That's why I couldn't want kids. Because it's too easy to feel like _this_." Callie nodded, understanding. "But it happened before I changed my mind about kids. It happened when I fell in love with you. Because you're inside me. Not just in a sexy way, but like you're part of me. And living without you is like living without my arms or legs." Her breathing hitched as her emotion threatened to choke her. "And I really can't figure out how I lived without arms or legs for thirty years before I met you, Calliope. But now I can't go back."

"You will never lose me, Arizona," Callie promised softly. "You're part of me too, you know that?" Arizona nodded without speaking, Callie's fingers combing lightly through her hair. "Good, because I love you and that will never change. And there will never be a day that I won't need you. Okay?" Because she knew that Arizona was scared, she was scared too - of being a _mother_, of being one of the people that their baby depended on for everything, of their lives changing forever - but she took her biggest reassurance from the knowledge that no matter what, Arizona would be at her side, holding her hand. And they wouldn't have to do anything alone.

"We can do this together," she said aloud, smiling sweetly to her. "Whatever you can't do, I will. And whenever I can't tell her no because she looks like her Mama and has me wrapped around her little finger…"

It won her a laugh, Arizona shaking her head. "Oh no, Calliope. You're not being the pushover and making me the bossy one!"

Callie smirked. "I like it when you're bossy," she said too innocently, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

A quick hand slapped her ass, thankfully out of sight of the driver of the other vehicles. "I like it when you're all flirty," Arizona countered. "Think it'll last until we get there?"

Callie's smirk became a full grin. "You just keep looking at me like that…"

"I always look at you like this!" cried Arizona. "So no problem keeping it going, babe. You're gorgeous."

And she had no doubts about it either. Because it was in Arizona's eyes, on her face, every time she looked at her. No matter how she saw herself, with the extra curves and everything else that came along with carrying a baby, Arizona looked at her and she was beautiful. "Come on, sweet talker. Let's get back on the road," Callie declared, walking toward the front of the truck.

Making sure the road was clear, Arizona put the stranded truck driver to work ensuring it stayed that way while she drove them around his vehicle, taking no more chances with her wife and unborn baby. And that didn't just cover driving safely. Callie's mental state after the earlier encounter with her father had seemed perfectly normal, but after her own panicky freak out on the side of the road, she knew how easily feelings could sneak up on a person.

"So…" she started slowly. "Your dad…" The slow pace lasted only a second, Arizona diving right in.

Callie smiled, looking out the window at the passing scenery. "I'm okay. He hasn't been a part of my life in a long time. And maybe we'll talk, maybe he'll try and be a dad again, maybe he'll be an amazing grandfather. But will I ever trust him like I used to? No," she talked it through simply. "Whatever we had before, whatever trust was there, it's gone and we can't get it back. Because he abandoned me for years." Callie's voice was still calm, collected, and reasonable. This was not a sad, stressed woman. Her gaze swung to the other side of the car, catching blue eyes glancing her way. "Okay? Even if he stays this time, if he can work this out for himself, it's not like we'll see him. We're in Seattle, he's in Miami. Yesterday doesn't change anything."

"But you're going to call him when we get home?" Arizona checked.

Callie smiled, reaching across the car to stroke her wife's arm gently. "Arizona, _you_ are the only person I count on. Maybe it used to be him, but now it's you. Just you. This, letting him back in, this is for him. I don't want or need anything from him."

That was a lie, even if Callie didn't want it to be. Callie was open hearted and free with her emotions, _she_ was the one who was more guarded. And she protected the things she loved, first among them Callie. And if this went wrong, it _would_ hurt her. But she didn't know how to protect her from this. "I don't - I can't watch him break your heart," Arizona said on a sigh.

Fingers trailed up her arm and picked her hand up off the steering wheel, Callie kissing the back of it. "Sweetheart, the only one with the power to break my heart is you. And I trust you completely, so I'm entirely not worried about my father."

Arizona smiled but didn't take her eyes off the road, breathing deeply. "Calliope, you're okay? Really?"

"I'm okay," Callie promised, holding her wife's hand to her chest.

"So why even talk to him?" she asked curiously, shrugging. "I mean, you know I'll support whatever you want to do, but we're doing great, we're having a baby, and I don't want him messing up our life."

"You just said it, Arizona. We're having a baby," said Callie softly. "And they deserve two sets of grandparents, if it's possible. I'm doing this for her," she declared, rubbing Arizona's hand across her belly.

Nodding, Arizona swallowed thickly. "Okay." She would do anything for her wife, their baby. "And if it doesn't go well?"

"Then we walk away," said Callie simply. "Metaphorically, I mean. We're not going anywhere. But we'll cut ties, nothing changes. We'll have each other and our baby and our family, friends, jobs, and we'll be happy."

"It's that easy for you?" Arizona asked, swallowing. "I know my parents stayed and were loyal, so I don't have any way of knowing what you went through…"

"I lost my parents a long time ago. And maybe that's not something you get over, but you get through it and you move on, live your life," Callie tried to explain, Arizona's hand still resting lightly on her stomach. "So I let them go. If they come back, great, but I'm not counting on them. I moved on and found the most amazing woman," Arizona smiled, dimples out, "and I'm out of my mind in love with her, and she's everything I need and want." Pausing, she leaned over the center console and kissed her wife's cheek softly. "That's you, just so you know."

"I got that, thanks," Arizona acknowledged with a laugh, jumping when lips closed on her earlobe, teeth pulling lightly on the skin. "Calliope! Back in your seat! No messing around while I'm driving! It's not safe!"

Callie whined in her ear but sat back in her own seat. "You know how the hormones work though, babe," she warned. "Sometimes I just need you." Arizona shot her a look that clearly said behave and the brunette grinned before her expression sobered some, her eyes dropping to her bump. "I do have one other reason for talking to my father," she said quietly, hand stroking over her rounded stomach. "If something ever happened with her, if she wasn't speaking to us, if she moved to the other side of the country to get a new life, would you ever stop trying to get another chance?" she asked hypothetically, feeling their baby moving under her hand.

Arizona's expression pulled, grip tightening on the steering wheel. "That's never going to happen," she declared fervently. She would never let that happen.

"I know that," Callie soothed her, reaching over to rub her knee. "You understand what I'm saying though, right? We would never close the door on our child. And now, about to have a kid of my own, I can't do it to my father. Because it would destroy us to be on the other side of that. So I find myself wanting to be merciful."

The blonde sighed, consciously relaxing her hands. "Okay. I understand. And you're right - I would never give up trying to get back into our baby's life…"

"Not that that's ever going to happen," Callie commented. "I can't imagine anything that would make either one of us turn our backs on them." Arizona frowned, shaking her head resolutely. She couldn't imagine anything like that either because nothing would ever drive her away from her baby. She didn't even like thinking about it. "Let's talk about something else," suggested Callie wisely, fingers combing through blonde hair soothingly. "How close are we to this place?"

Nudging her head against the touch, Arizona let out a deep breath, grateful for the subject change. "Maybe an hour?" She grinned sideways at her wife. "Why? Do you think you might need _more _sleep?"

Callie's touch went from stroking her hair to swatting her arm in a second. "The baby wears me out and you know it," she defended herself. "And I haven't noticed you complaining about all the extra time in bed."

Arizona was already shaking her head. "No way, Calliope." She wasn't crazy, for God's sake. And Callie's pregnancy hormones had been very good to them. "But before you say anything sexy and make me pull this car over, let's play a car game," she suggested.

Callie pouted playfully but dutifully stayed in her seat. "You don't want a quickie in the backseat?" she asked, teasing shamelessly.

The blonde gritted her teeth and shook her head, the effort looking painful from Callie's vantage point on the other side of the car. "Calliope, what I want is going to need the king sized bed waiting for us at the bed and breakfast and it's going to take a long, long time," Arizona declared, her voice strained with the effort of her restraint. "But it's good you got rested up." Blue eyes shot her a wink and Callie grinned.

"I spy with my little eye something that begins with…"


	66. Chapter 54

Arizona loved being the head of her department, but it did mean that sometimes she was late coming home for dinner. So when she came through the door, the smell of pot roast was already in the air, the muffled rhythm of conversation audible on the other side of the swinging door mixing with the clink and clatter of forks and knives on plates and bowls. It made her happy, but at the same time it made her sigh. They were busy surgeons so it was going to happen, but she hated the thought of missing out on dinners with Callie and their child.

Shedding her coat in the doorway and hanging it up, Arizona pushed through the swinging door to the kitchen to find the dinner and conversation already in progress. Since they'd moved out, they still had the boys (and Teddy) over once a week or so for dinner. Apparently she was missing that too… Callie was laughing at something Alex said, but she sent Arizona a dazzling smile and leaned her head back for a kiss. "Hey you," she hummed in greeting. "Let me get you some…"

"No, you sit," Arizona denied, hands on her shoulders keeping her in her chair. "I'll get it."

"Crock pot's over by the stove," Callie told her, still smiling and laughing at Karev's joke. At nearly nine months pregnant, Callie was moving more slowly and, much to her displeasure, had had to handle much more paperwork than procedures at work lately. But Arizona had insisted, and the Chief had backed her up. She did have more time to spend at home, which she spent cooking, much to the gratification of their former roommates.

Arizona had barely sat down in the seat beside her and was reaching over to greet the baby when Tim cleared his throat to get the attention of the table. "Now that you're here, I wanted to ask for some help…"

"You need it," she joked back wearily, rubbing Callie's stomach gently. "Hey, baby. Mama's home," she murmured before turning her attention back to her brother. "What's up?"

"Teddy and I are getting married," announced the Marine. The declaration was met with sudden and complete silence. "And moving to a bigger apartment. And you, as my family and closest friends, have an obligation to help me move."

Arizona blinked, feeling Callie look sideways at her for a reaction. Tim and Teddy had been together for a while now, but more often than not, they didn't really acknowledge that they were dating, handling the whole thing rather casually. So marriage was a big step…

"You're doing what now?" Arizona asked dumbly.

"We're getting married," Tim repeated himself, glancing sideways at Teddy beside him and smiling.

"And a bigger place?"

"Technically, we're getting a place together," he clarified, enjoying the looks of surprise he was getting from the others. "Teddy's place only has her name on the lease, and it's Teddy's place, so we're getting a place for the both of us. So we'll need a hand moving stuff out too."

Alex took a sip of his water and reached for another scoop of rice from the dish in the middle of the table. "When I helped Torres move in, I got a TV out of the deal," he said.

"Touch my TV and you're dead," Tim said with a laugh. "I'll buy all the pizza and beer, though."

Karev shrugged. "I'm in."

"Wait, wait, _wait_!" Arizona barked, confused. "Go back to the part where you and Teddy are getting married! You guys won't even admit that you're dating half the time!"

"Well, now we're getting married," said Tim cheerfully. "I thought you'd be happier, baby sister…"

"Is there a time crunch Aunt Arizona needs to know about?" the blonde countered, smirking. "Because it'll be cool for the little cousins to be so close in age. They can grow up together!" she teased, Teddy glaring across the table at her, Arizona adeptly dodging a sharp kick beneath the table top so Teddy kicked the leg of her chair instead.

Callie interceded before the joking could escalate, heaving herself awkwardly out of her seat, Arizona holding her arm as Tim stood up to stabilize her. She pulled him into a hug. "Congratulations, brother. Love you."

"Love you too," he echoed, moving to let her hug Teddy happily.

"I hope you'll wait long enough for the wedding that I can wear a dress instead of a tent. And I'll help however I can with moving, but I think this one," she nodded toward her wife, "is not going to let me even look at anything heavy," Callie said, giving him a pleased smile. "And I'm really happy for you."

He sent her a wink. "We'll load up some boxes of books just for you," he teased, waiting for a reaction from his sister.

Sure enough, she sent him a glare even as she stood up to hug him. "You better mean _comic_ books."

"Hey! Don't hate on my comic books!" Tim cried in protest. "You're the one who got me a subscription to _Superman_ for my birthday!"

"_Renewed_ your subscription," she corrected him, rolling her eyes toward Teddy. "You really want to marry _this_ guy?" The heart surgeon just grinned fondly at him. Callie could relate to her look, she looked the same way at Arizona. Blue eyes met hers in silent understanding and Callie reached for her hand, thumb brushing over her knuckles. "I guess you could do worse," she conceded, giving each of them a happy smile. "No one's doing better than me, though."

"Whatever." Tim gave her a look. "I mean, Callie's cool and all…"

"Okay, stop it before both of you end up on the couches," Callie cut in quickly, Teddy nodding her agreement.

The Robbins siblings wore matching expressions of confusion. "Wait, how would that work?" Arizona asked.

"Don't try and figure it out," Teddy said, shaking her head. "Just admit that we're all awesome, and we'll move on."

Exchanging looks, the brother and sister pair nodded, Callie pulling Arizona back into her chair.

"Okay, so I'm happy for you too," Arizona admitted. She pointed sternly, expression going serious again. "But don't even joke about making Callie carry stuff. She can unpack or something, but no carrying!"

"I'm sitting right here," the Latina observed dryly. "And I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

"You're _very _pregnant," Alex pointed out in an attempt to be helpful. He realized it was less than when Callie glared at him without blinking. "Still hot, though," he added, shrugging his shoulders.

Brown eyes rolled and Arizona cleared her throat warningly. "Say _one_ more thing, Karev," she invited him. She was protective, she knew that, but it was her wife and her child. And Callie was beautiful. And Karev had eyes. And speaking for herself, Callie's breasts were out of this world. "But you are _very_ pregnant, Calliope," she agreed hesitantly.

Rolling her eyes again, this time at her wife, Callie sighed. "I know that. I have noticed that. And I'll unpack boxes in the kitchen or something." She smiled slowly, rubbing the blonde's knee gently. "Don't worry so much."

And as the next week between Tim's announcement and the day they could actually move into the new place passed, Arizona really did try not to worry. Except for the sinkhole, which was not something they warned about in any pregnancy books, it had been a smooth, almost boring pregnancy. But the due date was any day now, so she just simply couldn't help herself. Callie and Tim tried to keep her distracted by unleashing her type-A personality on the packing, which helped. It did mean that they had to submit to whatever she told them to do since they'd put her in charge. If it was helping to keep her partner from freaking out while they waited for labor to start though, Callie would do anything.

She would have considered not mentioning the big contraction that hit her just after lunch except she gasped when it struck her and braced herself on the kitchen counter and Arizona's protective instincts had never been more finely tuned.

"Hey, are you okay?" Hiding those minor contractions she'd been having all morning was probably about to come back and bite her on the ass.

"Yeah," Callie gasped out, squeezing her eyes closed and resting one hand on her stomach. She focused on breathing, drawing it slowly in and pushing it slowly back out again. It would pass. They'd taken two truckloads from the house to Tim and Teddy's new place, there was only one more to get from Teddy's apartment and they'd be done for the day.

Arizona's voice was closer to her as the blonde spoke again, "No, you're not! Calliope, oh my God! Are you having contractions?" Out of breath and unable to speak, Callie just nodded reluctantly. Busted. "Oh my God!" Arizona cried again, packing and moving Tim's stuff instantly pushed out of her head.

"Arizona…"

"How long have-when did they start-" wide blue eyes blinked and focused, "When were you going to _tell me_?" she demanded.

Callie forced her eyes open as the wave passed, breathing deeply. "That was the first big one, I swear." She smiled, hoarsely laughing. "It's not like I could've had the baby without you noticing, Arizona," she reminded her gently, stroking a hand over her wife's cheek and into her hair soothingly. "It's okay."

"You're okay?" Arizona asked, not entirely relieved. "Really? Did your water break?"

"Not yet," the brunette answered patiently, guiding her partner's hand to her stomach. Arizona unconsciously relaxed as she stroked the rounded belly, able to feel where the baby had started to shift in preparation for being born. "See? We're okay."

Leaning into her neck, Arizona sighed. "I know you were trying to keep me from freaking out, but walking into the kitchen to see you having contractions - _**not**_ comforting, Calliope!"

Smiling, Callie kissed the side of her head, stroking through her hair gently. "I'm sorry," she offered meekly.

"How far apart are your contractions?" asked Arizona, wishing she could be calm and professional, but it was _her_ baby. Every parent that had ever been in her ward made complete and perfect sense to her now.

Callie shrugged, trying to think. "Fifteen minutes?"

Arizona's shoulders slumped as she let out a deep breath. "Okay, good, thank you."

"Sweetheart, I would have told you right away if I'd gone into labor," Callie promised. "But I didn't want to be in the hospital all day either," she lightly teased, giving her partner a loving smile. If she'd known about the contractions all day, Arizona wouldn't have let her out of her sight, possibly would have dragged her into the hospital to wait.

"Well, Tim's room is all cleaned out, so we can paint, and he said he'd come over in a day or two and help us put the crib up in our room."

"I can do that," Callie offered, knowing already the response that would get from her wife. "You won't let me unload anything at the new place, I could stay here and put the crib together."

"Um, _no_," the blonde denied her immediately. "You'd sit down to bolt something together and your water would break." She emphatically shook her head, both hands sliding to grip Callie's hips. "I want the baby to come, but I do _not_ want to deliver them myself!"

"Teddy's here too," teased Callie, flicking her lightly on the tip of her nose. She hoped, and not for the first time, that the Robbins genes would make themselves known in the baby's features. "You two could do it."

"That's _not_ funny, Calliope." Arizona expression was serious, brows furrowed over deep blue eyes.

Smiling softly, Callie leaned forward. "Kiss me," she requested. Her swollen, pregnant belly meant that Arizona had to lean in as well to meet her lips. It was soft and mostly chaste, Callie pulling lightly on her lower lip between her own. "Better?" she asked with a sigh as they separated, both able to feel the baby kick in between them.

"Better," confirmed Arizona. "Thank you." The baby gave another flutter and she smiled down at the big bump. "That feels like it feels weird," she commented, laughing.

"It feels weird." Her breathing hitched as the little foot caught an organ, a grimace crossing her face. "You kind of get used to it, though."

Arizona looked at her directly. "Do you think you'll miss it when it's gone?"

Laughing, Callie shook her head. "I don't think so. And I wouldn't mind this one keeping you awake instead of me for a change," she confessed, grinning.

"Oh, thanks," the blonde agreed sarcastically. "Does that mean I'm flying solo on diaper duty for a while?"

The realization of what the contractions meant, more than just the trigger for Arizona freaking out, but that they were actually going to be parents within a day, was overwhelming, both of them smiling at each other. Almost as if her body knew what she was thinking, another strong contraction clenched her womb, drawing a harsh gasp.

"I'm okay, just another contraction," she said before Arizona could ask, then realized that that wasn't strictly true. "Okay, wait, maybe we should get ready to go to the hospital." She caught Arizona's arm before her partner could fly off the handle. "It is _okay_, sweetheart. Stay calm. We've still got a lot of time."

Arizona was wide-eyed but she nodded, drawing on her professionalism to keep control. "I got it," she promised, mustering a strained smile. She pulled one of Callie's hands up to kiss the back of it. "I got this." Callie gave her a reassuring smile and Arizona stepped backwards toward the door. "Tim!" she yelled suddenly, loud enough that Callie covered her ears. "Go time! This is _**not**_ a drill! I repeat, _**not**_ a drill!"

Callie sent her an amused look, shaking her head. "You've been _drilling_ for this? Where have I been that I missed that?"

They could both hear Tim jogging down the stairs at a rapid pace and straight out the door to get the car. "Of course I've been drilling for this, Calliope. And you've been getting tired so easily lately, it was easy to keep you from watching and mocking."

"Do you have more than one plan?" Callie asked curiously, grinning at her partner. She loved her the _most_. She might be crazy, but it was sweet and kind of cute how eager she was. Arizona had come a long way from the woman who'd never wanted children.

"Of course! There's one for if we were home alone, or if Alex was here, or Tim, or Teddy, or you by yourself," Arizona answered her, listing them out matter-of-factly.

"But I didn't drill for that one!" said Callie with a laugh, taking Arizona's hand when the blonde offered hers.

"You didn't have to…"

"Because I haven't been on my own in the last month?" she questioned teasingly.

Blue eyes just narrowed at her as they made their way slowly toward the front door. "Because you would have called me and I would have taken care of it." She cleared her throat pointedly. "You _would _have called me, right?"

Callie sighed with a smile, nodding. "Of course I would have, Arizona. You are not missing the birth of our child," she promised. "I need somebody's hand to crush, right?"

"Right!" Arizona agreed, unable to help grinning, dimples deep on her cheeks. "Not my cutting hand though, right?" she checked nervously.

Laughing, Callie leaned over to kiss her cheek lightly. "I'll try not to, but I make no promises, sweetness."


	67. Chapter 55

Waking up was slow, her body aching and tired. But Callie was simultaneously happy and peaceful. Because she had a daughter with the love of her life. And thinking of them, a voice hummed beside her, "Look who's waking up, baby girl. It's Mami." Warm lips touched her temple. "I love you so much," Arizona murmured.

"That's good to know," sighed Callie, smile curling her lips. "Since I just went through fifteen hours of labor for the two of you." She pushed her eyes open and shifted in the bed. "Can I see her or are you still hogging her?"

Arizona thumbed the button to sit the bed up and leaned over to tuck their infant into the curl of Callie's arm. She dropped another kiss on her forehead and smiled when Callie's free hand caught the front of her shirt, keeping her from withdrawing. Smiling softly, the brunette leaned forward to close the minute distance between them, kissing her and taking her time. This was her family. This was everything she wanted in life.

They separated as their daughter wiggled and whimpered in her arms, smiling at each other. "Hey, Sofia, baby. What's up? Is someone hungry?" It took a bit of fumbling to get her settled in position, and the sensation was completely strange, but Callie smiled at the sight. "Someone _was_ hungry."

Arizona sat down on the edge of the bed, hand finding her wife's knee through the sheets. "Don't kill me for saying this, but I could _so_ go for a cigarette right now." Brown eyes just glared at her silently. "Not that I'm going to smoke one! I just want one!"

"Look at your daughter's face and say that again," Callie suggested firmly.

It worked like a charm. She would never choose to do anything that might hurt half of her heart. And Callie was the other half. These two in this bed were her world. "Okay, I'm over it," she declared, reaching out to stroke a hand over wispy, soft brown hair. "Damn it, that's going to work like a charm every time."

Callie's smile wasn't bothered by that. "She's beautiful." She glanced up at her wife. "She looks like _you_."

"Well, you already said she is beautiful," Arizona agreed with a quiet laugh. But the baby really did look like her. She had brown hair, brown eyes, but her features were distinctly Robbins under olive skin, though her tone was lighter than her mother's.

"I hope she's humble like her Mama," the Latina teased, meeting Arizona's eyes. She would adore nothing more than for their daughter to be just like Arizona.

"Babe, between the two of us, I think she's doomed on the humility front." Not that they could help it, really. They were surgeons. That was part of the deal. "But she's our baby, so she was always going to be awesome, Calliope." And she was. She had ten perfect little fingers and toes, weighed in at seven and a half pounds, and was the epitome of a perfectly healthy newborn. But to her proud mothers, entirely in love with her from her first cry, she was undeniably awesome and perfect.

They were quiet for a few minutes, just basking in their family. Arizona sighed when one of their phones went off on the little rolling table, standing on one leg to drag it into reach before she flopped back onto her seat beside Callie's feet. "Whose is it?" the distracted brunette asked as Sofia finished her supper and burped, both of her mothers cooing at the ridiculous adorableness of their baby.

"It's mine," Arizona answered when she could concentrate again, reluctantly dragging her eyes away from the sight of Callie rocking Sofia against her shoulder. They were beautiful together. "Oh, my parents are here! Tim ran into them in the lobby." She sent Callie an eager smile. "Can they come up? They want to see her."

"Of course they can," said Callie, leaning back against the pillow wearily.

Arizona noticed, lowering her phone slowly. "Listen, sweetie, if you want to sleep I can tell them to come back later…"

"They want to meet their granddaughter. They're not going to wait," she pointed out with a laugh. "Tell them to come up." She closed her eyes as she leaned back into the mattress, sore and tired. She wouldn't be good company for any of their visitors, but she didn't want her weariness to keep her in-laws from their granddaughter. Arizona had called Carlos as well, but he was still on a plane.

Hushing everyone as they came in, Arizona whispered greetings, hugging her father when Barbara dodged around her to get a view of the baby. "Love you too, Mom," Arizona muttered sarcastically into her father's chest.

"She's _so _sweet!" Barbara squealed, both hands over her mouth to stifle the noise. Behind her, her husband and children exchanged fond, loving looks. "Can I - could I hold her?"

Callie nodded, smiling slowly. "Of course, Grandma." She sat up somewhat to transition the sleepy baby to her mother-in-law, relaxing gratefully back into the bed. She forced her eyes to stay open though, wanting to see her expression when she saw the family resemblance. They'd sent her a picture to get them through the drive to Seattle, but it didn't capture just _how much_ Sofia looked like Arizona.

"Oh my God, she's perfect!" She turned to display the tired, blinking baby to the Colonel. "Look at her, Daniel!"

He gave her a gruff nod, too emotional to speak. This wasn't something they'd ever expected from their daughter but they were as instantly in love with the baby girl as Callie and Arizona were themselves. Instead of speaking, he just leaned over to kiss his daughter's blonde hair.

"Thank you, Dad," Arizona murmured. Reaching behind her with one hand, she found her brother's wrist and squeezed hard. He'd been in the waiting room since they'd arrived, calling their parents and endlessly fetching food and drinks after the birth was finally over. He just gave her a light punch on the shoulder. None of the Robbins (besides Barbara) were spectacular at sharing their feelings vocally in front of a group.

"Her name's Sofia?" Barbara checked, rocking her as the baby succumbed to sleep.

"Sofia Michelle Robbins-Torres," recited Arizona, getting another knock from her brother. His middle name was Michael, hers was Marie, the middle initial M a family tradition now carried on to another generation of Robbins. "It's cute, isn't it?" she asked, grinning at him.

"You've got a cute kid there, sis," he agreed warmly.

"I helped," Callie called from the bed, smiling at them. She didn't want to be rude, but she wasn't going to be able to stay awake much longer.

"You did great too, Cal," Tim assured her, winking.

Arizona moved around her mother to lean over the bed, brushing hair back from Callie's face. "You did _so_ great, Calliope. And you're so gorgeous and I love you more than anything," she murmured. Callie just blinked, smiling at her. "You should get some more sleep. We'll be quiet."

Nodding, Callie let her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Robbinses," she offered. "I know you just got here, but I'm exhausted." They all chorused that of course she should get some sleep if she could and Callie hooked her fingers in Arizona's collar. "I know your mom loves her, but she can't keep her. We better still have a baby when I wake up," she teased, kissing her before Arizona could respond.

"Yes, Calliope. I'll make sure she stays in the room," the blonde promised, rolling her eyes. "Go to sleep."

Callie nodded but her eyes blinked open again a second later. "And if my dad gets here…?"

"I'll wake you up," Arizona said patiently. "Go to sleep."

And somehow, Callie was still asleep when her father and Aria arrived, the former knocking on the door only a heartbeat before the latter just swept into the room with an excessive number of balloons and a teddy bear. At Arizona's surprised look she just shrugged, looking over her gifts again. "What? Too much?" she asked with a grin, throwing both arms around her sister-in-law eagerly. "Congratulations! That's what people say for babies, right?"

Sofia was awake and she blinked at the new arrivals in silent consideration from her uncle's arms. "Yes, Aria, that's what people say for babies," Arizona agreed, releasing her as her mother stood up to greet them. "Carlos and Aria Torres, these are my parents Daniel and Barbara Robbins, and my big brother Tim."

"Me and Tim go way back," Aria joked with a laugh (meaning that they'd partied together at Callie and Arizona's rehearsal dinner), leaning over his seat to look at Sofia. "Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?"

"Mom, Dad, this is Calliope's younger sister and her father," Arizona finished her introductions with a smile before she noticed the new arrival who slipped into the room silently. She didn't know for _sure_, but resemblance made her fairly certain that this was Callie's mother. And of course she picked today to come to Seattle with her husband. Carlos showed his face for the first time in years on the day of Callie's baby shower. And now her mother was choosing their baby's birth to make her appearance. The timing with her partner's family was almost uncanny.

Even as she thought it, Callie woke up. "Mama?"

Arizona could have kicked herself.

Callie pushed herself up straighter in bed with both hands, casting a confused look around the room. Only the expression on Arizona's face convinced her that she wasn't dreaming. "You're here…"

"They just came in," Arizona assured her. "I was going to wake you up…"

Sensing the sudden tension in the room, Tim stood up, passing Sofia back to Arizona. "Mom, Dad, how about we go get the new mommies some dinner?" he suggested, sliding one hand across the back of his sister's shoulders as he edged around her toward the door. "Nice to see you, Aria, Mr. Torres, Mrs. Torres," he said politely, ushering his parents out but lingering in the doorway for a moment until he got a nod from Callie.

Waiting until the door closed behind the Robbins, Callie spoke up hesitantly, "Mom, what are you doing here?" She and Carlos had stayed in touch after his last visit, but from everything he'd told her, her mother wasn't coming around the way he had. And yet she was here. Callie had gotten used to the fact that she'd lost her family a long time ago. She had a new family now. But something inside of her, some tiny little bit of her, so small she'd long forgotten it was there, still longed to share this happy day with her mother, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

Carlos and Aria stayed quiet, Arizona rocking Sofia but staying at Callie's bedside. No one spoke for a long moment. "You have a baby," Mrs. Torres murmured.

"Darling, this is Dr. Arizona Robbins, Calliope's wife," Carlos introduced them. His face didn't even twitch and Callie felt a burst of pride in her father. He'd said he wanted to be there and he had been, even when she knew it wasn't easy for him. "And Arizona, this is my wife Lucia."

Arizona nodded politely, holding her daughter in one arm and offering her other hand. The other woman didn't take it. "Nice to finally meet you, ma'am," the blonde said, sounding normal to someone who didn't know her.

Callie looked up at her, catching the guardedness in her voice. Arizona would stand by her side no matter what, but she wouldn't just stand by and let anyone hurt her either. Reaching up, she pulled the blonde's hand down and held it in her lap. "We have a baby, yes," she agreed with her mother, eyes helplessly drawn to the bundle in Arizona's arm. "Sofia Michelle Robbins-Torres."

"That's a beautiful name, mija," Carlos sighed with a smile. "She's beautiful."

Arizona edged forward to let him get a better look at her and his face lit up. "She is," she agreed reverently. Not that she was biased or anything, but she saw a lot of kids. And hers was by far the cutest, prettiest, and sure to be the smartest. "Do you want to hold her, Grandpa?"

"Could I?" he asked, looking at them both as he asked the question. Arizona looked to Callie for a nod, handing their daughter over to her grandfather when she got it. He smiled at the infant, cooing to her and whispering in Spanish, but the rest of the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, everyone tense.

Clearing her throat, Aria broke the quiet. "So, how was labor? I hear that stuff's a _bitch_!"

"Aria!" Carlos called her down sternly, hastily lowering his voice when Sofia jumped in his arms, blinking wide eyes and whimpering for a moment before she settled down again.

"It was rough," Callie agreed, rolling her eyes at her sister. "But worth it."

Aria was grinning down at the baby in their father's arms and she wiggled her fingers in front of Sofia's face, prompting a flurry of blinks. Then she smiled, sighing and relaxing into Carlos. "Oh my God, she's got the dimples! This one is going to be a heartbreaker!"

Callie and Arizona exchanged their own smiles. They knew the smiles were just reflex, not because the infant was actually aware of being happy. It was heartwarming to see her smile either way. And she'd been smiling frequently. "She looks like her Mama," Callie hummed in satisfaction. Lucia twitched but didn't say anything.

Aria reacted with another squeal, tickling Sofia's stomach gently. "So Arizona's Mama and you are…?"

"Mami," answered Arizona, everyone noticing Lucia's reaction this time.

Sighing, Callie tugged on her wife's wrist until the blonde sat down on the side of the bed beside her. "Do you have something you'd like to say, Mother?" she asked, edge in her tone. Her mother could leave or she could stay, but she couldn't just sit there and huff at them. It was two days after her daughter's birthday. She got to be so, _so_ happy today. Passive-aggressive bullshit from her mother didn't get to spoil it. "What's bothering you more, my lesbian wife, or our baby?"

"That is not her baby!" Lucia shot back instinctively. "And she is not your wife."

Arizona didn't respond at all, leaving her hand in Callie's lap. Carlos and Aria both went stiff, watching both of the Torres women for a reaction. "Wrong answer, Mom," Callie said, her voice hoarse. "Arizona _is_ my wife. And Sofia is absolutely her daughter," she declared. "Did you even look her in the face?" Looking into Sofia's face, the resemblance was unmistakable. "She was going to be your granddaughter. But if that's the kind of thing you're going to tell our daughter, then you lose the privilege of seeing her." No one moved, barely breathing. "I'm serious. Leave if you can't see what family means."

"Calliope, it's a sin," Lucia started, cut off by Callie's heavy sigh. They'd had the religious argument years ago, before she'd ever left Miami.

"We're not having this discussion again," Callie said, shaking her head. "Stay or go, I really _can't_ care anymore, Mom." She laced her fingers through Arizona's, squeezing her hand for support. "Arizona and Sofia are who I care about."

Her eyes stayed locked on the older woman, watching her mother's expression freeze before she resettled her purse on her shoulder and turned, leaving the room without a word. It was silent again, no one speaking, barely breathing.

Sensing the tension, Sofia let out a sudden cry, squeezing her eyes closed and screaming. Carlos quickly handed her back to her parents, having to turn his back to blink back emotion. He'd had high hopes when Lucia had expressed her desire to go with them to Seattle when Arizona had called about the baby.

Callie hushed her gently, blinking back tears of her own as she stared down at her baby. Sofia settled down as soon as she was back in familiar arms, nestling into her mother's elbow and breathing fast. Callie could feel Arizona's free hand in her hair, fingers brushing through the strands gently. Warm lips pressed a kiss to the side of her head but didn't say anything, just offered quiet strength and comfort.

"Perhaps we should go find some dinner ourselves," Carlos suggested after a few minutes. Aria joined him at the door but her father hesitated in the opening. "Calliope, I'm so - I thought - when she said she wanted to come, I'd hoped…"

"Dad, it's okay," Callie said, though her voice was choked, her control clearly nearing its end. "It's not your fault. And it's not up to you to change her mind."

Swallowing hard, his eyes drank in the sight of his daughter with her baby. "Can I come back, or should I leave too?"

Callie nodded at him. "Of course you can come back. And if Mom ever comes around, she _might_ be welcome. With Arizona's blessing," she warned him. If she was going to disparage her marriage, she was going to have to win her second (third, fourth) chance back from her wife. Her loving, protective wife. He nodded in understanding and left, Aria mouthing apologies at them and pulling the door closed behind her.

Leaning back into her wife's body, Callie let out a tremulous breath as Arizona's arm curled over her shoulder and across her chest. "Cry," she whispered simply, giving soft permission for her to let it out. She didn't have to be strong right now. Because her strength had her safely wrapped up in her arms. Her head rocked back against the blonde's shoulder and she squeezed her eyes closed as she let the tears fall.

It didn't last long, her mother had abandoned her a long time before, but this fresh reminder did hurt. But when she got herself under control and regained her breath, she didn't remove herself from Arizona's body or arms. "I love you more than anything. You know that, right?" she asked, voice gruff with emotion.

Arizona kissed the side of her head again, keeping her lips pressed against soft black hair. "Of course I know that, Calliope," she murmured. "I love you too."

"She's wrong," Callie whispered. "You're my wife. And you're Sofia's mother."

The blonde nodded, pursing her lips against her again. "Of course I am," she agreed. "It was _super_ fun finally meeting my mother-in-law," said Arizona with a sigh. "I know she's your mom, but you definitely got the better half of that deal." Another kiss. "And, for the record, if you hadn't had the good sense to marry into my family, they would have totally adopted you after Tim's surgeries."

Laughing, Callie leaned her head against her partner's. Sofia blinked up at them from Callie's arm, surveying her parents with wide brown eyes. She smiled at them suddenly, melting both of their hearts.

"I know it's just gas, but it's still the sweetest little smile I've ever seen," Arizona hummed, dragging her other hand down the Latina's arm. "And it makes me happy no matter why she's smiling." She kissed Callie's cheek, leaving her lips against her skin. "Just like when you smile at me."

"I'm so happy she got the dimples," said Callie, reaching back with one hand to stroke her fingers across the same feature on her wife's face. "Thank you. Have I said thank you for her yet? I couldn't imagine doing this with anyone but you, Arizona."

The blonde dipped her face to kiss the top of her shoulder, nestling in closer. "Tim was going to kick my ass if I let you get away because of the kids thing. He told me I'd regret it every day for the rest of my life and he's right. I would have regretted it forever if I'd missed out on her."

"Well, without you she wouldn't be our Sofia." Arizona reached forward to rub the baby's belly lightly, kissing Callie's shoulder again. "And we _love _our Sofia."

"Yeah, we do," Arizona agreed, her own voice made hoarse by tears. She wouldn't change anything about her life at this moment. She was complete in a way she hadn't even known she was missing. And it was all because of the woman in her arms. "And I love you."

* * *

><p>I like to play with canon... and Sofia's their daughter, so that's how it's staying... :) (and in case it's still not clear - Sofia is from Arizona's egg - Tim's not the donor...)<p>

Who thinks Lucia's done being nasty or will they have to deal with her some more?


	68. Chapter 56 pt 1

Tim had been around Seattle Grace Hospital enough between his surgeries and his sister, in-law, and his fiancée all working there that he knew his way around without having to ask anyone. So when he reached the floor where Callie and Arizona were, he knew exactly which way to go to see the babies. But he wasn't the only visitor to the neonatal ward, Lucia Torres standing at the windows and watching Sofia sleep in her bassinet.

"Mrs. Torres, hey," he greeted her, surprised to see her there after how things had gone the day before. Callie had been her normal self when the Robbins had come back with dinner, but Arizona's face had told him the truth. No one had brought it up though.

The older woman stepped aside so he could get space at the window in front of Sofia's carrier, her arms wrapped around herself. "You're - I'm sorry, I don't recall your name. You're her brother."

"Yes, I'm Arizona's brother. Name's Tim," he introduced himself, offering a hand. She shook it grudgingly and he gave her a dimpled smile. Arizona wasn't the only one in the family who could radiate cheer. It just came off more cute from her than it did from him.

They were quiet and he grinned when Sofia's head turned to face the glass, the Marine bending his knees and crouching to the baby's eyelevel. "She's cute, isn't she?" he asked, not really expecting an answer from Lucia.

"She's yours," she said instead.

Tim stood up straight, turning to face her. "She's my niece, yeah. She's Arizona's daughter. And Callie's. I didn't have anything to do with her, actually, but I do love her." The tone in his voice didn't invite discussion and they stood in silence for a minute. "Did you know that Callie's the reason I can walk?" She blinked at him in surprise. Clearly it wasn't something she had known, not that that surprised him. "I was in the military. I got blown up and should have lost at least one leg, probably both. If I'd come to anyone else but Callie I probably wouldn't be walking. I'm always going to be grateful to her for that. And I would do anything for her." He looked back at the baby. "But even more than what she's done for me, she's the best thing that's ever happened to my sister. Anybody who sees them together can see how they feel about each other. Callie's a good person, Mrs. Torres. She cares about her patients, she's an awesome friend, and she loves Arizona. And they both love their daughter."

"Your family is okay with this, all of this?" Lucia asked him, disbelief in her tone.

Tim nodded easily, broad shoulders shrugging. "Yeah, we are. Arizona loving a woman doesn't change who she is. She's my little sister and one of the best people I know. And Callie's amazing. My parents are crazy about her. You have an incredible daughter, Mrs. T." Inside the neonatal unit, a nurse was removing Sofia's carrier from the crowd of others in preparation of taking her to Callie's room. "I just hope for your sake that you're not the only one who can't see that," he told her seriously. "Because you're missing out on someone pretty great," he said, almost sympathetic for this blind, stubborn woman.

Arizona had just stolen Callie's red jell-o as Tim entered the room with Sofia's carrier, the nurse more than willing to let him push it down. Everyone in the hospital knew Tim. "At least give me some!" Callie complained, swatting the sheets and trying to snatch the spoon from her wife.

They both looked over when Tim laughed. "I thought I was bringing the baby to you, but it looks like there's already a few in here," he teased.

Forgetting about the jell-o completely, Arizona rushed to her brother's side and leaned over the carrier to grin at her daughter. "Look at you! You're the best baby ever! And guess what? We get to go home today! You get to see our house and your new room!"

Tim looked up from his niece to Callie for confirmation. "Really? You get to get out of here?" She was swallowing her recovered jell-o but nodded. "Awesome! I guess it's good that I started the painting last night. You guys said you wanted black walls, right?"

Arizona straightened up quickly, Sofia tucked safely in the curl of her arm. "Timothy, if you turned our daughter's room into a baby bat cave, I will kick your…butt," she edited herself when Callie cleared her throat from the bed.

"A baby bat cave sounds cute," the Latina declared, grinning when her wife sent her a look, shaking her head from side to side.

Confused, Tim cocked his head. "Bat cave?"

Callie laughed. "My old apartment had concrete walls and was really dark…"

"_Really_ dark, Tim!" Arizona chimed in, nodding emphatically at Sofia, who was watching curiously with dark eyes.

"And Arizona wasn't crazy about it," Callie finished. "She likes living in an Easter basket."

Tim shrugged uncertainly, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "Well, I was painting Sofia's room green, but that's what color you two told me to, right?"

"I said we could talk about repainting if you want!" the blonde countered with a laugh, ignoring her brother. She knew he'd painted it the right color, the pale green they'd chosen. Another Easter basket color, Callie had noted with a smirk when they'd picked it. "It's your house too, Calliope."

"And I'm ready to get back to it," Callie said eagerly. "Who wants to go get my discharge papers?"

The brunette arched an eyebrow at Arizona that told her that it wasn't a request and she handed the baby to Tim. "I'll be right back."

"I love you," called Callie with a laugh. "You're here early today," she commented to her brother-in-law, watching him grinning at the baby. There was something off about his expression though. Neither he nor Arizona could hide when they were hiding something. "Hey, are you okay?"

He didn't look up from Sofia. "Your mom was here. Over in the nursery."

"What?"

"I saw her there," he said, looking over at her. "I talked to her for a few minutes until they got Sof out."

Jaw hanging open, Callie blinked, stunned. She'd never had a family member go to bat for her. "Wha-what did you say?" Sliding her legs over the side of the bed, she stood up, crossing the room to stand beside him. She was still sore and tired, but more than ready to go home. There was nothing that staying in the hospital would do for her that she couldn't get from going home.

"I told her that she was missing out on her amazing daughter, which is you, but if she doesn't want you, that we're more than willing to keep you to ourselves." They weren't looking at each other, but down at Sofia, another smile on her little face.

"You did?" Callie asked, choked up. "You said that?"

"Yeah," he agreed hoarsely. "I did. It's her loss, Cal."

Taking a shaky breath, Callie leaned her head against his shoulder. "Have I ever told you that you're the best brother ever? Because you are."

Arizona returned just then, drawing up just inside the door when she found the pair of them standing right there. "Hey." Seeing their serious looks, including what looked like almost tears on her wife's face, she frowned. "What's going on?" She had Callie's discharge papers all filled out, just waiting on a signature.

Exchanging looks with Tim, Callie cleared her throat. "Nothing."

The blonde just frowned at them in disbelief. "Hey, so Mom and Dad were talking about all of us having dinner tonight. Mom wanted to cook, I think. Could we do it at the house? Me and Teddy don't have any baby stuff at our place," Tim spoke up to fill the gap. "I think they were going to stick around town for a few days if you're not up for it tonight."

Arizona looked quite sure that that wasn't what they'd been talking about before she'd come in, but she looked to Callie for an answer instead of pushing it. "Are you up for it, Calliope?"

"Yeah, of course. That would be great," Callie agreed. "Hey, do you think I could invite my dad and Aria? It would a less awkward chance for the in-laws to meet."

"Absolutely," said Tim. "Mom told me to tell you to ask them to come." By silent consensus none of them mentioned Lucia. "So, dinner at your house - around seven?"

"Sounds good." Arizona repacked their bag while Callie got Sofia settled in her car seat. "What are you doing here so early anyway?" she asked curiously, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Lunch with Teddy."

Callie smirked. "It's nine in the morning."

Uncharacteristically, he blushed brightly. "Um, I-I don't really think you guys will appreciate the explanation so I'm not going to answer that."

Arizona frowned, confused. "Huh?"

Laughing in understanding, Callie shot a look at her brother-in-law, shaking her head from side to side with a smirk. "Nice…"

Still confused, Arizona grumbled, "What?"

Bobbing her eyebrows at him, Callie grinned at her wife. "Okay, remember what we do with our free time in between surgeries? It hasn't been _that _long, has it?" It _had_ been a while since she'd felt sexy, but that wasn't for a lack of trying on Arizona's part. At no point in her pregnancy had her wife made her feel anything less than gorgeous, no matter how she'd seen herself.

Finally reaching understanding, Arizona wrinkled her nose at her brother. "You're right. I didn't want to know that." She slung the strap of their bag over her shoulder. "We're going home now. Enjoy the morning sex, I guess."

Callie covered the baby's ears with both hands, rolling her eyes at her wife. "We'll see you tonight for dinner. Love to Aunt Teddy!" She waved Sofia's hand at him and he leaned over to kiss her little forehead. "Bye Uncle Tim!"

"Later." He held the door for them, following them into the hall.

Arizona grimaced again as she watched him walk away into the hospital while they dropped Callie's signed papers at the desk and went to the elevator. Noticing the look, Callie bumped her with an elbow. "Don't be jealous that he's getting laid." Arizona chewed on her lip but nodded. "Hey, I know I haven't been…"

"Calliope, you were housing our baby," Arizona cut in, smiling down at the infant carrier hanging from the Latina's arm. "I understand…"

"Hey, you know you're the most beautiful woman in the world, right? And I would love nothing more than to make love to you," Callie told her earnestly.

The blonde shook her head but laced their free hands. This was a discussion they'd had before. "Not without you, Calliope." She would love little more than Callie's touch, but she wanted to give as well as receive. And until Callie was ready, she was waiting. "And you just had a baby yesterday, so don't even…"

She stopped as Callie squeezed her hand, the Latina leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Okay, you're right, I know…"

"I like the sound of that," Arizona teased, grinning.

"But I do miss you, Arizona," said Callie, breathing the words in her ear. "You have to believe that, even if I haven't really been in the mood to show you lately." She hadn't felt attractive or desirable, but she'd never forgotten that Arizona was attractive and desirable.

"Shh," the blonde hushed her, turning her face in to meet her lips for a soft, slow, sweet kiss. "I miss you too, Calliope. We'll figure it out." Callie stepped forward for another kiss, chasing her lips. They couldn't do anything further, but she wasn't ready to stop the kissing yet.

Only a noise from the infant in her carrier stopped them, Callie groaning in frustration. "I guess we have to get used to that," she sighed, taking a final quick peck before she leaned back into her own space. "We don't have to like it, do we?"

"No way," Arizona declared immediately. She pulled their joined hands to her lips, kissing the back of her hand. "We will figure it out," she repeated the promise.

Callie nodded, leading them off the elevator. Getting the car seat into place in the backseat only took a few seconds, Arizona digging the keys out of her purse. Groaning as she relaxed into her seat, Callie habitually rested one hand on her middle. "It'll be good to be home. And have everybody over for dinner."

The drive was quick, the middle of the morning not a heavy traffic time of day. Arizona just smiled as they pulled into their driveway, parking next to Alex's Camaro. They'd barely been gone for more than three days, sometimes worked longer shifts than what it had taken to have the baby and get them discharged, but it was still just _so _good to be home. They both let out deep breaths of relief as they carried Sofia inside, Arizona getting the sleeping baby out of her carrier as soon as they were in the living room.

Sofia seemed to like her little bouncy sleeper, not waking at all from the transition, and her mothers took the opportunity to check the kitchen, the living room, the laundry room. It had only been three days but it felt like things should be different in the house somewhere. They had a baby now, they were parents, the change should be reflected everywhere. Of course, on the ground floor of the house, all that meant was the presence of a pack and play in the corner and intensive baby proofing care of Arizona.

Thankfully Alex trotting noisily down the stairs didn't disturb the sleeping infant, Arizona quick to point her out to him. "Sorry, boss!" he whispered, quick-stepping with her into the kitchen where Callie was going through the fridge. "You guys are home?"

"Yeah, just got here," Callie answered, grinning knowingly over her shoulder at him. Alex was a simple guy really, but she appreciated that about him. There was never any bullshit with him. He just told the truth. So she knew exactly why he was smirking back at her in her kitchen. "How much time do you have?"

"Twenty minutes," he answered, checking his watch eagerly.

Rolling her eyes, Arizona went to the coffeemaker. "Calliope, if you feed the animals they'll never go away. And what are you doing here anyway? Don't you live with the pretty boy plastics guy and that loud, shrieky one?"

"Eggs and bacon is the best I can do but you might have to put it on a sandwich on your way out the door," Callie told Alex, the younger man nodding. Anything home cooked was better than the toaster pastry alternative.

"You just said exactly why I'm here," Alex told Arizona, lifting a bundle of wire in one hand. "And I came over to look for the cord for my ipod." He hooked one thumb over his shoulder. "And I wanted to meet the kid. Nice work, boss." He offered his fist for a bump, the blonde obliging with a proud grin as she crossed the room.

"Hey, my folks and Callie's dad and Aria are coming over tonight for dinner," Arizona informed him as she handed over a mug of coffee, taking hers to the stove where Callie was already cooking and kissing her cheek. Now that she was breastfeeding, Callie couldn't have any more coffee. "Think you'll be able to make it?"

Alex grimaced, shaking his head regretfully. "I don't think so. I'm working eighteen hours." He took a sip of his own coffee. "But the in-laws are meeting. I probably don't want to be around for that, do I?"

Arizona looked as though she didn't really want to be around for it either. Callie's mom had been a curveball for all of them, especially Callie. And Arizona knew there would be people that questioned their relationship with Sofia for the rest of her life, but having the first one be her mother-in-law, and on their little girl's birthday, it was disheartening for herself as well. But she mustered a strained smile for Callie when the brunette looks sideways at her. Neither one spoke yet though.

Alex's breakfast sandwich was eaten on the way to his car, Arizona shutting the front door behind him quietly. Callie was sitting down on the couch already, her legs stretched toward the middle. "Come here," she requested, voice down low so Sofia would hopefully stay asleep. Arizona took the other side of the sofa, putting herself in the same position as Callie, feet toward each other. "I'm so sorry about my mom, sweetie. _You_ are Sofia's mom."

"Mama, actually," Arizona corrected her lightly, gently rubbing her wife's foot. "I know what people are going to assume, what they'll say about us. And I can't say that it won't hurt," Callie winced sympathetically, "But I can promise you that none of it will ever drive me away or make me doubt for one second that that little girl is mine."

Callie sighed, thumbs rolling soothingly over the sole of the blonde's foot. "People suck," she sighed. "And I'm sorry that my mom was the first one to say that to you."

"It's okay," Arizona insisted, speaking softly. "Sofia is our baby. And I love you both more than anything." Even as she spoke, the infant whimpered and woke, crying right away. Callie started to move, groaning wearily, but Arizona shifted her legs off of her lap and stood up herself. "I'll get her."

Watching her cross the room, Callie stayed quiet while Arizona walked the baby around, murmuring to her. They were beautiful. And Arizona's love was clear on her face. No one should be able to doubt that. But people sucked.

"Don't look at me like that, Calliope," the blonde called from where she paced in front of the fireplace, soothing Sofia with her touch and her voice the same way she'd been so good at before the baby's birth. "I'm her mother." She chuckled lightly, moving them back toward Callie on the couch. "I think she needs you this time, though."

Sitting up, the Latina took the baby to nurse her and Arizona went back into the kitchen for another coffee. "I hate you," Callie said behind her, looking down at the top of Sofia's head on her chest. "No, I really don't," she whispered to the baby. "I just miss coffee."

Arizona surprised her a few minutes later as Sofia was finishing up her meal with a burp, replacing the baby in her arms with a mug of cocoa. "I know it's not the same, but it's the best we've got," she said. "And it's kind of in the theme of the holidays, right?"

Callie laughed at the reminder, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Where are we going to find the time to put up a tree?" They'd kept Thanksgiving low key because of Callie's advanced pregnancy, dinner with their friends at Derek and Meredith's house, but with the due date falling between the two holidays they'd wanted to give the baby a real first Christmas with all the trimmings, even if she wouldn't remember it.

Walking Sofia around again, Arizona shrugged. "Maybe we could just crash Christmas with Tim and Teddy." It wasn't ideal, though. She wanted a real family holiday. A tree and presents in _their _home with _their _daughter. "I don't have to be back at work until week after next, maybe I could get Alex to go with me and we'll pick up a tree," she suggested. "And then we could all decorate it together." She had taken two weeks off to get Sofia settled and Callie had her three months of maternity leave, which Arizona was going to overlap hers with, and then they'd be back at work (albeit with lighter schedules) and Sofia would be in daycare at the hospital.

"I like that better," Callie agreed, nodding. "Do we even have any decorations, or do we need to go buy some?"

"I think there's a box or two up in the attic. Or maybe in the den, office, room over there," she answered, nodding toward the room across the hall from the living room they were in that was primarily storage for stuff they hadn't had time to go through. It had been stuffed with boxes since before she'd moved in to start her residency. "We've got time. We'll figure it out."

It went against every organized, over prepared bone in Arizona's body to say that and Callie couldn't help grinning at her. Motherhood was already changing her partner. She couldn't wait to see how else little Sofia changed them both.


	69. Chapter 56 pt 2

Carlos was, of course, the first one to ring the doorbell, looking relieved beyond words when Arizona let him in without hesitation. "I wasn't sure…"

"Come in, please," she invited him in with a smile.

"They invited us, Dad," Aria reminded him, pushing past him and scooping up Sofia without a pause. "Hey, my little sobrina!" she cooed to the baby, walking and talking without paying anymore attention to Arizona or Carlos.

Arizona curled her arms around herself as she watched them, not looking at Carlos as she spoke, "Your wife isn't going to join us…"

He wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, but he cleared his throat and shifted his weight between his feet. "Ah, no, I don't believe so."

Sighing, she nodded, keeping her eyes focused on her daughter. "Does it change anything for you?"

"No," Carlos answered her steadily. "I wish she changed things for Lucia, but…"

"She's your wife," Arizona said, finally looking sideways at him. "I've got one of my own too, so I understand if your loyalty is split."

"You have a daughter now too," he reminded her, hands tucking themselves in his pocket. "Could you ever choose between them?"

"That's never going to happen," Arizona practically growled, narrowing her eyes. Nothing would ever put her at odds with Callie _or_ Sofia like this. She wouldn't let it.

Carlos sighed heavily and she could see the weight this was putting on him. "I sincerely hope it never does."

Tim entered without knocking, one arm wrapped around Teddy's shoulders and a bottle of wine in the other hand. "For the beautiful hostesses," he offered, handing the bottle off to his sister. "Where's Callie? Did she crash?"

"No," Arizona told him. "She's in the kitchen."

"Mom cooked. She's knows that, right?"

"Yeah, but she's a little stressed and a little hiding," confessed Arizona, shrugging. She couldn't blame her. She was a little jealous of Alex at work right now. "Can you hold things down out here? I'm going to go talk to her." He nodded easily and went to get his niece from her aunt.

Callie was fidgeting anxiously with the door of the oven and she hissed suddenly as she turned toward the door. "Oh, oww!"

Arizona crossed the room in a second, catching her burned hand. "Calliope, you need to calm down. Everything is fine. Your dad's here and Aria, and Tim and Teddy just got here."

"Your parents?"

"They're on their way, I'm sure," Arizona soothed her. "How's your hand? Let me see it." She uncurled her wife's fist and brushed her thumb lightly across the red flesh. "What's in the oven, anyway? My mom's bringing dinner with her."

"We have to have _something_ to serve, so I threw some of those scone things in the oven for dessert," Callie explained, watching Arizona inspect her hand.

"Well, this might be sore for a while, but I don't think it's going to blister," she decided, pulling it to her lips for a soft kiss. "Does that feel better? I need to practice now that we've got a kid that's going to need us to kiss things better."

Callie smiled, a genuine, relaxed, loving smile. "It feels better. Thank you. I don't think there's a boo-boo out there that that can't help."

"I hope you're right," Arizona whispered, licking her lips nervously, brushing her thumb across Callie's knuckles. She couldn't think about Sofia having a hurt she couldn't kiss and make better. Because in the hospital she wouldn't be allowed to help her own daughter and that thought killed her.

Callie's hand on her jaw guided her face up for a slow kiss, each of them relaxing into it. Arizona tugged her closer by the hips and groaned when Callie's teeth pulled lightly on her lip. "Better?" the brunette asked between kisses.

"When you kiss me, always," Arizona answered, blinking blue eyes open. "You ready to do this?"

Callie took a deep breath but nodded surely. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Tim was just letting Barbara and the Colonel in as they rejoined the group in the living room, the male Robbins finding themselves with arms full of pans and bags as Barbara went immediately for her granddaughter.

"You know where it is, guys," said Arizona with a laugh, waving behind them toward the kitchen. "Mom, thanks for cooking." The older woman distractedly waved her off and Arizona followed her father and brother into the kitchen with an eye roll. "We'll get it set up in here."

Callie just lingered to the side as Arizona left, content to watch their family be together. Anyone who loved them, loved their daughter, was welcome. Anyone else wasn't. Sofia burped for Teddy and they all laughed at the startled look on her face as Barbara chattered eagerly for more grandchildren.

Carlos sidled up to her and Callie sighed as he fidgeted without speaking. "Dad, if you want to go…" She wouldn't stop him but it would hurt.

"No," he cut her off. "I will not lose you again. I won't miss her life the way I missed yours, Calliope."

She eyed him, squeezing down hard when he took her hand. "You're still in this? Even with Mom…?"

"Your mother is wrong," he declared. "And I'm so sorry for what she said to you, about Arizona."

"And Sofia is…?"

"She's your daughter, mija. Arizona's daughter. My granddaughter and your sister's niece." They both smiled as Aria waggled her fingers in front of the baby's face, the younger Torres sister grinning happily.

"Right answer," Callie murmured, leaning her head over against her father's shoulder.

Arizona's voice from the kitchen door drew their attention and Callie took Sofia from her sister to feed her, the others filing into the kitchen and taking their seats. Carlos stood at the side awkwardly before Barbara gestured for him to take the seat next to her, Callie giving her mother-in-law a grateful look and getting a wink in reply.

Typically, Aria was the one to break the ice, talking about movies and sports and everything that people talked about when they were getting to know each other. And Callie wasn't sure she'd ever loved her sister more for the effort. Because they were a family, she and Arizona and their daughter, and everyone else in their lives, their parents, their siblings, they could and be friends, or at least friendly.

And there was no one better to facilitate that than Aria.

So Callie stayed mostly quiet, nursing the baby and listening to the normal, natural flow of conversation around the table. The sound of her own name grabbed her attention and she realized that her sister, helpful and supportive one minute, was actually the devil, cheerfully asking for the story of how she and Arizona had met.

Exchanging glances and pointedly ignoring Tim and Teddy's knowing smirks, the pair of them coughing lightly to cover for laughing, Callie and Arizona both tried to stall. Arizona rolled her eyes at her brother and sipped her water, Callie reaching across the table for the salt shaker.

"I don't know that I've ever heard that story either," commented Barbara eagerly, prompting another glance between her daughter and in-law. "Come on, girls. You're going to have to tell Sofia the story someday. Tell us."

That was a point they hadn't been expecting. And their little girl would want to know _something_ about how they'd met. But a night full of passionate sex with a stranger wasn't the best story to tell in their kitchen to their family, even if the stranger had become… everything.

"We met at Joe's," Arizona blurted, hoping to keep it simple. "Nothing much to tell, really. I bought her a drink." More like half a dozen drinks, but again, that wasn't something she was going to share with the group.

"And then the next morning at work, we had a case together," Callie said, smiling sweetly. "My first case in Seattle." And in between the two, they'd had a solid eight hours of flirting and drinking and hot, _hot _sex that would absolutely not be getting a mention at their family dinner.

"And she asked me out, we started dating, she moved in, I proposed, we got married, and now we have a perfect daughter," Arizona said, glancing sideways at the pair next to her, Sofia watching the proceedings quietly as she digested her own dinner. Callie's hand found her knee under the table and squeezed lightly.

"I think Teddy should tell us how Tim proposed," suggested Callie, eager to get the spotlight off of them.

The heart surgeon grinned knowingly but shrugged. "We were in bed," she said without hesitation or embarrassment. Tim blushed though. "He was trying to be all smooth and romantic, but he dropped the ring and I rolled over on it." The entire table laughed, Tim's shoulders rising around his ears. "So he groped me trying to get it back…"

"Hey, keep it G-rated," Arizona interjected with a look, reaching across Callie to cover Sofia's nearer ear.

"This is the clean version, Robbins," Teddy told her, winking across the table as her best friend grimaced. "Anyway, I found the ring before he did."

"She screamed in my face," Tim jumped in, chuckling.

"Oh, I did not!" denied Teddy.

"Squealed then?" he tried, teasing her. "Is squealed a better word?" She shoved at his shoulder and he retaliated by stealing a bite off her plate. Barbara called him down right away, everyone else laughing.

Dinner continued to be a casual, rather noisy affair, though completely relaxed, which was a relief to Callie. She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but a nice night at home with people who loved them was a pleasant surprise and the perfect way to welcome Sofia home.

The quiet only really sunk in after everyone was on their way home for the night, Sofia passed out in her mother's arms as Arizona walked her around the living room. Callie flopped tiredly onto the couch across from her, crossing her arms over her eyes. "I think we kind of owe Aria one, even if she was trying to embarrass us."

"She really kept it going smoothly," Arizona agreed, speaking softly to avoid waking the baby in her arms. "Even if that wasn't exactly why she was asking."

"I know we need to get her to bed, but I don't know if I can move. So tired," groaned Callie, opening her eyes when Arizona's hand pushed at her shoulder. The blonde stood next to the couch, one arm safely holding Sofia and the other extended to help Callie up. "Oh, babe, no. You've got the baby, and I can move…"

"Let's go then," said Arizona, still holding her hand out. "Because I know I didn't push her out, but I'm still exhausted and I can't really understand how you're still awake."

Taking her hand, Callie led them to the stairs, turning off the lights behind them and then following Arizona up with a hand on her back. Sofia's crib was in their room so they went straight there, tucking the sleeping infant into her bed.

"So, how do you think her first day at home went?" Arizona asked around a yawn. She was tired, but she didn't want to leave this yet, watching her baby sleep at home, in her own little bed.

Callie smiled, looking down at Sofia sleeping peacefully. "I think she likes it."

"And how's her Mami dealing with everything?"

Curling an arm around her wife's shoulders, Callie pulled her in to kiss the side of her head. "Mami's fine," she promised. And she was. Her family was complete and she couldn't be happier. Her mother couldn't hurt this bone-deep, soul-fulfilling contentment.

"You're sure?" Arizona murmured, growing sleepier by the second and leaning more heavily into her.

Callie smiled against her hair. "I'm good if you are," she promised. "Come on. I've got one more girl to get to bed." Using her arm, she gently steered Arizona toward their bed, shaking her head and smiling as the blonde just flopped fully clothed and facedown onto the bed. "Arizona, you're still in your clothes…"

She just flapped a hand at her. "Doesn't matter, just get in," she requested.

"At least take your pants off, honey." Arizona didn't reply, just lifted her hips. Callie shook her head again with a smile as she slipped a hand under her wife and undid the button and zip, pulling the jeans down her legs and dropping them to the floor.

"Now you get in," Arizona muttered, legs sliding back to flat on the mattress.

Callie knew she should change clothes, maybe take off her makeup, but she couldn't resist the call of the mattress (and her pants-less wife) and kicked off her own jeans and fell in next to Arizona, the blonde already snuggling into her before she could even reach for her, pulling her arm over her shoulder and holding it.

Oh yeah, if there was something better than this feeling, her wife squirming deeper into her arms, their daughter's gentle, soft breathing the only sound, she couldn't imagine it.


	70. Chapter 57

Keeping one eye cautiously on the opened front door where Sofia slept inside, Callie kept her foot on the base of the ladder to stabilize it. "Sweetheart, please be careful up there!" she called up toward the roof where Arizona was stringing lights along the front of their house, checking the baby monitor for the hundredth time. Sofia was still sleeping peacefully in front of the banked fire, locked safely in her carrier. But her wife was ten feet up in the air on an old ladder and she was a little nervous and paranoid at the moment.

"I got it, Calliope," Arizona called back down. "How's Sof?"

"She's sleeping." Callie leaned her head back to look up at Arizona's legs. "But she misses you. You should come down now!"

Laughing, Arizona sent her a look over her shoulder. "I'm almost done, babe. Give me two more minutes." She hooked one arm around a rung and balanced herself on one foot so she could hang half of her body out into air and get a better look at her partner. "If you're cold you should go inside. I'll be right in."

"I'm not leaving you out here to fall and kill yourself, Arizona," the brunette growled at her stubbornly. They'd already decorated the tree, complete with a little painted handprint ornament courtesy of Sofia Michelle, but Arizona had insisted that they decorate the whole house, which included wreaths on the windows and the door, and lights strung along the roofline.

"I'm not going to fall!" Arizona said with a laugh. "And you're Ortho! You'd fix me!" Though technically still on vacation, she'd been sporadically back at work for a week already (for budget meetings and the occasional surgery), but Callie still had another two months of leave left. And they were on track to have the decorating done before tomorrow, which happened to be Christmas Eve, and with any luck they'd get to spend at least part of the day together for Christmas. Arizona was crossing her fingers for either breakfast or dinner together as a family, she was realistic enough to know they'd be lucky to get either and not fortunate enough to get both.

The blonde was grinning smugly as she scrambled quickly back down the ladder after hanging the last light and it made Callie roll her eyes and sigh. "You're lucky you're so damn cute," she grumbled, hands in her partner's coat pockets to haul her against herself. She had to remind herself every single day that she couldn't jump her wife. Because she desperately wanted to. There was no rule against her pleasuring Arizona except for the one put in place by her stubborn wife. And only three weeks after delivery her body wasn't recovered yet and Arizona steadfastly refused to let their lovemaking be one-sided.

Catching the look in her eyes, Arizona shook her head even as she leaned in to meet her wife's lips. "Keep it clean, Torres," she warned her in the second before their mouths connected, moaning when Callie's tongue was immediately in her mouth. She responded, closing her lips around it and sucking hard. The moan she got in answer was enough to make her knees week. It had been a _long_ few months. And worse than the drought they'd had while she was in Africa because the woman who set her on fire was present and very, _very_ tempting.

Only the cry from the baby monitor on Callie's hip made them draw apart, both breathless. Once they stopped the passionate kiss, they realized that it was cold outside of the heat between them. "She's got that timing down already, doesn't she?" Callie panted, Arizona unable to help drawing her in for another one with both hands cupping her face. This kiss was slow but still deep and no less passionate for lack of speed.

"Patience," the blonde murmured when they parted again, a reminder to herself as much as it was to Callie. "We can do this." That had become their mantra lately. "It's just -"

"Twenty-one more days," Callie supplied instantly, having counted and recounted the days multiple times. It had been a long labor and she really was still recovering but her doctor dictating six weeks of no sex felt brutal.

Arizona grimaced. "Well, when you say it like that it sounds longer…" she complained. Callie sighed and nodded, pulling her back into the house by the hand. The Latina stayed by the door to stomp ice off of her shoes and Arizona went to release the squawking baby from her seat. "Just out of morbid curiosity, do you know the number since we've…"

Callie looked up at her from the stairs, shaking her head silently. "You don't want to know, babe," she advised seriously. "It's not a good number." As a matter of fact, sixty-two (three, four, five, and so on) were the vilest numbers at the moment to her sex starved brain. She'd spent fifty-nine dollars at the store last week and had spent a few moments glaring at the number taunting her from her receipt. And it would only get higher before it got wiped out.

Searching for something to raise their spirits, Arizona danced Sofia through the air to her, the baby drooling happily on her mother's cheek in place of an actual kiss. "At least baby girl is having a good Christmas, right?" She walked them back to the tree to look at the lights, Sofia sitting on Arizona's arm under her butt with her head on the blonde's chest.

"Are we even going to try to go to Derek and Meredith's dinner tomorrow?" Callie asked her as she discarded her shoes. After twenty minutes outside hanging lights it felt too warm inside the house and she stripped out of her coat as well.

Arizona didn't turn from the tree, bouncing Sofia gently with one hand on her tummy to keep her safely against her chest. "I don't think I would make it with my eyes open, but you should go if you want to," she said. They were both tired, still adjusting to sharing their life with their tiny human. "I can keep Sofia."

"Can we just stay home?" Moving from the stairs to the living room, Callie wrapped both arms around Arizona, cautious not to disturb Sofia's concentration on their brightly colored tree. She liked the lights.

Leaning back into her, Arizona nodded. "I might get called in, but I would absolutely love that."

"Maybe Sof could open some of the entirely excessive number of presents she's gotten from her grandparents," Callie suggested with a laugh. The Robbins and Carlos really had gone all out over their first granddaughter, as the mountain of gifts around the tree testified to. "If you're home, of course." She turned her face into her partner's neck and kissed along her skin.

"Calliope…" the blonde started warningly, wound up enough at the moment that lips near her neck or ear would lead nowhere good. Well, it _was_ good. And it _would_ be out of this world, to be sure. But she couldn't let it happen. Not until she could give the feeling back to Callie. "Behave…"

"I don't want to," she countered petulantly, nipping lightly at her shoulder. "I want _you_."

Arizona started to pull away, she couldn't control herself if Callie wouldn't, but her lover adjusted and tightened her hold on her. "And I want you too. I want you to feel as good as you make me feel. So we're waiting," she declared firmly.

"But it's Christmas!"

"It's our first Christmas with our newborn baby, Calliope," Arizona reminded her patiently, kissing the top of Sofia's head and smiling against the soft wisps of curly brown hair. "We can have a nice, quiet, peaceful family holiday, right?" Breathing deeply, Callie nodded against her shoulder. "That's all I want for Christmas."

Smiling, Callie nodded again, kissing her neck again lightly. "Me too," she agreed.

"And when New Year's rolls around…"

"January twelfth," Callie clarified pointedly.

Arizona laughed, head turning to get to Callie's cheek, her lips. "It's a date," she promised. The timer on the oven drew Callie away though surprisingly didn't startle Sofia, Arizona cupping a protective hand around her nearer ear to block the noise. "You really like those lights, don't you, munchkin?" Arizona noted with another kiss to her daughter's head.

"Do you want a cookie, sweetheart?" Callie called from the kitchen where she was taking sugar cookies out of the oven. She sent back an affirmative and happily let Callie hold the cookie up for her to take bites off of. "So if you won't let me…"

"Calliope…"

Arizona's warning tone stopped her and she rolled her eyes for her wife's benefit. "What are we doing tonight instead?" It was almost weird having so much free time away from work. But the time with Sofia was amazing and wonderful and perfect.

Finishing her cookie, Arizona brushed crumbs from the baby's head with a sheepish smile. "Well, first thing, this one needs dinner," she said, hoisting Sofia in demonstration. "I'll take care of getting the fire going again if you'll take care of her."

"Deal," Callie said, leaning over and sealing it with a quick kiss as she brushed her own crumbs from her shirt. "Think she'll go to bed after she eats if we turn off all the lights but the tree?" It really was funny how fascinated the infant was with the Christmas tree lights.

"It's worth a try," reasoned Arizona, handing over the baby to retrieve the firewood.

Callie took Sofia to the sofa and got comfortable, letting the baby at her chest and watching Arizona kneeling in front of the fireplace. Her wife really was a _stunningly_ gorgeous woman. If only she wasn't so damn stubborn all the time they could be putting all this atmosphere to good use…

"I can feel you staring at my butt, Calliope," Arizona said over her shoulder, smirking at the fire. It caught after a few minutes and she crab-walked backwards to sit leaned back against the base of the couch.

Callie's fingers were immediately combing into her hair. "Well, you won't let me touch, but you can't stop me from looking," she said, her other hand stroking Sofia's back gently. Her two girls right here with her, within reach, was exactly what she wanted. She might be missing the bedroom action, but this was a pretty perfect alternative.

Sofia gave up a healthy burp that made them both laugh and turned her head to see the lights, letting out a soft sigh as she settled onto her mother's chest. "She's going to be _out_," Arizona whispered, looking over her shoulder at the pair of them. "It's a Christmas miracle!" They both loved their little girl, but she had so far been consistently difficult at night when it came time for her to fall asleep. Apparently all they'd been missing was Christmas lights.

"Maybe we should put a nightlight in the bedroom if it will help," suggested Callie. She was willing to try anything if it meant an easier night.

"Maybe we can string the Christmas lights around her crib?"

Callie chuckled softly, cautious not to startle the baby. "Anything that works," she stated. It was dark outside and inside, but the glow from the lights Arizona had hung up illuminated the front windows of the house. And it was warm inside the room from the fire, making a comfy glowing bubble for them.

It didn't take long before Sofia was breathing steadily in sleep, the lights apparently the factor needed to soothe her to sleep. She had been joined at some point by her mother, Arizona found when she turned to look at them again. They were _so _beautiful together. It struck her at least once or twice a day, how incredible it was to see Callie and Sofia, the two loves of her life, together.

Unfortunately she couldn't just leave them to their adorable sleep, knowing how badly the couch would tweak Callie's back if she spent the entire night on the deathtrap of a sofa. First though, she got Sofia up into her arms, smiling down at her sweet, sleeping face. "Hey, baby girl. I love you," she murmured.

Callie stirred as she realized that her baby was no longer on her chest, the sight of Arizona with her instantly calming her. "Hey," she greeted her, voice rough with sleep. "Bed time?"

The fire had burned down and Arizona nodded, leaning over smoothly to unplug the tree lights without jostling the baby. "Bed time," she confirmed, getting Sofia upstairs and settled again in her crib in their room with only a soft whimper from her.

As it turned out, they got to spend almost none of Christmas Eve together, Arizona getting called in when a church youth group bus was in an accident. She had to leave just as Sofia was waking up, regretfully leaving her wife to deal with the screaming baby, and had gotten home ten minutes after their daughter had fallen asleep.

She was determined not to miss her daughter's entire Christmas as well and was first out of bed, intercepting Sofia in the early stage of her wake up where she was still just laying quietly and observing instead of screaming her cute little head off for attention from her mothers. Instead she wiggled her little arms as Arizona's face appeared over the crib, her legs moving under her blanket.

"There's my girl," Arizona whispered with a dimpled smile, picking her up and grinning when the motion got worse, her tiny body squirming eagerly in her hands. "Yeah, baby, it's Christmas! Are you excited? You don't know what's going on, but I think you're excited!" Missing a day with her hurt. And had she gotten bigger since yesterday?

Sitting her on her hip, she left Callie to get a few more minutes of sleep and went downstairs to plug the lights on the tree back in, Sofia laying quietly and letting her Mama change her diaper while she stared at the colorful bulbs again. "You love the pretty colors, don't you, sweetie? You got that from Mama. Your Mami doesn't love colors like we do," Arizona murmured, looking over toward the stairs when she heard a soft sigh.

"I'm recording, so don't say anything you don't want her to hear later," Callie warned, holding Arizona's camera in one hand as she captured the moment. "Do we want to do presents first or breakfast?"

"Aww, Calliope, we were trying to let you sleep in," Arizona said, standing up after a moment of consideration and leaving Sofia wiggling in place on the floor to watch the lights. Callie turned the camera on them when Arizona crossed the room to kiss her sweetly. "Merry Christmas," she said, voice quiet.

"Merry Christmas," Callie echoed, nose nuzzling against Arizona before taking another soft kiss. Wrapping her arm around the blonde's shoulder, she turned the camera back on Sofia. "She looks happy, doesn't she?"

Arizona nodded quietly. "I don't want to miss any of it."

Sighing in sympathy, Callie kissed the side of her head. "You won't. And even if you get called in, she's not going to know."

"Yeah, until she sees this video," the blonde complained. Unconsciously, she turned her body into Callie's and wrapped both arms around her, front and back.

"Arizona, she's fine. She's perfectly happy," Callie reminded her gently. "And we can have Christmas with her tomorrow if something happens. She's not going to know the difference. But don't even worry about her not missing you if you have to leave. She lights up when you're around, babe." She laughed suddenly. "Just maybe not as much as she lights up for those lights," she said, teasing and pinching her wife's butt.

Callie made French toast and fed Sofia before they all went back to the living room and settled on the floor so Arizona could help Sofia open her gifts, the little girl caring for none of the gifts but more than happy to be the center of attention. She did like to grab at the bows, wiggling her hand as furiously as she could manage when a newly arrived Alex, who Arizona had insisted come over during the day because he had no one else to visit with, stuck one to her palm while the rest of them laughed and Callie caught the whole thing on video. Arizona took the camera to get shots of Callie and Sofia together with the rest of the gifts.

Exhausted by the excitement, a fussy Sofia whimpered against Arizona's shoulder after all the presents, Callie again following them with the camera as they walked around the living room. The blonde had just sat down with the finally sleeping infant on her chest when her pager went off.

Closing the camera with a sigh, Callie went to pick it up off the coffee table for her, Arizona leaning her head back against the couch and groaning. Before she could reach it, Alex dashed in and snagged it. "I've got it, boss. Don't get up."

One blue eye popped open in disbelief. "What?"

"I'll go in," Alex said. "You've got your family stuff going on."

"Karev…"

"Hey, no sentimental crap. Honestly, I need the overtime money," he said, shrugging into his jacket and pulling a beanie down over his short hair. "That present I got your kid wiped me out."

Arizona smirked, rolling her eyes at Callie. "I told you that you didn't have to buy her anything…"

"Whatever," he said over his shoulder. "I'm out. Save me some leftovers or something."

Stepping around the colorful, bouncy, rolling, walker toy that Alex had given Sofia for Christmas (he'd shrugged sheepishly and noted that she'd have to grow into it when Callie had pulled the newspaper off the big box), Callie smiled and shifted Arizona's legs so she could sit down on the couch and put them back across her lap, idly stroking the red flannel pants her wife was so fond of sleeping in (and had been wearing all day). "See? A quiet, peaceful, family Christmas. We got what we wanted."

"Christmas miracle," Arizona agreed, closing her eyes again and listening to their daughter's soft, snuffling breaths against her neck.


	71. Chapter 58

The applause of the OR staff and interns was led by Arizona as Alex finished his solo repair on a nine year old girl's small intestine, the teacher's grin clear even through her mask. "Good job, Karev!" They stepped back from the table and knocked knuckles, his dirty gloves against her clean ones.

"Yeah?" he asked, nervous and uncertain and needing reassurance. He acted tough, but he was the same way after all of the surgeries he'd led so far.

"Yes, Alex," Arizona confirmed with a chuckle. "You did great work. I'm proud of you."

That got him laughing, shoving at her shoulder with one hand after he snapped off his glove. "Yeah, okay, no need for sappy crap." He let out a deep breath, shoulders relaxing. "Thanks."

Arizona wiggled clean gloves at him. "I didn't do anything. You deserve it." With a glance up into the gallery, she laughed, pointing up at the window so he would follow her gaze to where Callie was sitting with Sofia on her knee, using both hands to clap the baby's hands. "Someone's proud of her Uncle Alex." He elbowed her firmly as they moved toward the scrub room, his blush hidden behind his mask.

Callie and Sofia were waiting for them in the OR hallway, gorgeous grins on both faces. At twelve weeks old, Sofia had broken out her first real, happy smile almost a month before and it was rarely off her face since. "There's Mama," Callie cooed in her ear, both arms tasked with holding the squirmy, wriggling infant against her side. "Take her, take her, take her," she said quickly, Arizona immediately scooping her up and blowing a raspberry against the tummy of her onesie. "She really wanted you. She wouldn't sit still the whole time we were in the gallery. She couldn't see you, but I would point to you and say 'Mama' and she just would just wiggle all over."

Laughing, Arizona bounced her daughter against her side, free hand finding her pink scrub cap in her coat pocket and putting it on Sofia's head. It promptly slipped down over her eyes but her toothless grin was still visible. Callie helpfully tied it behind her head after Arizona adjusted it up for her. It was still much too big but tucking it behind her ears helped keep it out of her face and Callie eagerly snapped a picture of the two of them on her phone and turned it so Arizona could see.

"We have the cutest baby ever!" the blonde declared proudly. "How long were you two in the gallery? I didn't think you were going to get to watch any of it."

Callie shrugged, quick fingers firing the picture off to Arizona's phone as well as Tim's, Teddy's, Barbara's, Carlos', and Aria's. "My hip replacement got moved up so I had a few minutes to go get baby girl from daycare and she wanted to see you." And it was her first week back at work from maternity leave and she couldn't resist a chance to get time with her baby.

"Oh, she told you that, did she?" Alex teased gruffly even as two fingers chucked under the little girl's chin.

Smirking, Callie nodded. "Yes, she did. And she wanted to see her Uncle Alex do his surgery." Sofia did look pleased to see him, Arizona's dimpled grin beaming from her cheeks. "Oh my _God_, I could just eat her up when she looks like that!" Callie cooed, leaning in to kiss her face. "She looks like _you_," she said more quietly, popping her head up into Arizona's space, the matching smile on her wife's face only inches in front of her.

Those lips were irresistible and she couldn't help kissing Arizona, a helpful hand sliding into the back of her hair to encourage her. Alex groaned just as Sofia shrieked, her timing for interrupting her parents impeccable. She was still smiling as they separated, apparently just wanting the attention on her. "So, Mami can't kiss anyone but you, little girl? Because I don't agree with that," Arizona told the baby in her arms, giving her a kiss of her own through her scrub cap.

And if her mental math wasn't mistaken, they should be able to do a bit more than kiss as of… four weeks ago? What the hell? How had that happened? They were still in transition, learning to balance working and a baby. But had they really let being a couple slip through the cracks for _a month_? This was completely unacceptable.

"Hey, so do you maybe not have anything going on now?" Callie asked, pointing sternly at Karev when Alex snorted a laugh. But if that look in Callie's eyes was any indication, she wasn't the only one displeased with this sudden realization. And really, she'd been waiting on Callie's timetable anyway. If Callie was only ready now…

"Really subtle, Torres…"

Arizona shot him a sharp look herself, shaking her head warningly. "Don't you need to check on some post-ops?"

"Don't you need to come too?" he shot back smugly, arms crossing his chest

Before Arizona could counter, Callie's pager went off, prompting a groan of protest from both herself and her wife. "911 in the pit. I gotta go," she said regretfully. "Could you get her back to daycare?"

"Of course," agreed the blonde, giving her a quick kiss before offering up their daughter for a kiss. "I'll pick her up and we'll meet you at home?" A mess in the pit would surely mean that she was going home before Callie. The Latina pouted but nodded. "Love you."

"Love you too," Callie echoed, turning to leave with a weak smile over her shoulder for them.

"Well, shoot," Arizona commented when she and Sofia were alone with Alex.

He grinned at her editing herself around the baby. "You two haven't… you know, yet?" Blue eyes narrowed at him and he held up both hands in defense. "Hey, I'm with you - that sucks! Sorry you didn't get to get laid, boss."

Rolling her eyes at him, she pushed her student toward the hall doors. "You can worry less about my sex life, please. Let's go talk to Kelly's parents and let them know you rocked it and I'll get this one back to the nursery." And maybe after that she'd see if Tim could be prevailed upon (forced, cajoled, or blackmailed) for babysitting tonight.

Alex gave her a sideways look as they entered the waiting room, smiling in spite of himself at Sofia in the pink cap, still grinning happily at anyone who looked her way. As soon as she learned to harness that look and use it deliberately, she'd be capable of charming anyone, anywhere, he was sure. Their patient's parents were already on their feet, the mother ringing her hands anxiously.

"Is she - how did it go?" the frenzied woman asked, clinging to her husband's sleeve.

Glancing at the clearly nervous Alex, Arizona spoke up, "Kelly came through wonderfully, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson. Dr. Karev did a perfect procedure."

The worried parents went limp in relief, hugging each other and offering them both grateful handshakes. Arizona had to fumble hers around Sofia in her right arm, but they accomplished it, Mrs. Simpson smiling at the little girl. "Is this your daughter? She's adorable! And she looks just like you!"

"Well, thank you," Arizona commented with a smile to match Sofia's. "They'll be bringing Kelly down to recovery soon and Dr. Karev will be sure to let you know when you can see her."

"Thank you, Dr. Karev, Dr. Robbins," the relieved parents offered them again, both of the surgeons nodding and walking away.

"You go check on her post-ops and I'm going to take this one back to the nursery," Arizona said, giving him a clap on the shoulder. "And good job, Alex." He grinned as they parted ways, exchanging a fist bump with Sofia's little hand for good measure.

Sofia had stopped squirming by the time they reached the hospital daycare center, hopefully ready for a nap. Arizona greeted the nurse supervising the daycare center a nod of familiarity and carried her drooping infant through the playroom into the nap room full of cribs. She started to take her scrub cap back as she settled the little girl into her bed, pulling the blanket up over her carefully, but she just looked so _freaking_ cute and she didn't have the heart to take it off of her. She had other caps she could use if another surgery came up today.

Leaving her with a kiss, she slipped her phone out of her coat pocket and scrolled through her contacts to 'GI Joe' and hit the button. Tim had apparently messed with her phone the last time they'd gone out to dinner because Callie's number was now identified by 'MILF' as she noticed it at the top of the list of her speed dials. "What's up?" he grunted as he answered, audibly turning over on his side of the phone.

"You're still asleep? It's after noon, Tim!" Arizona informed him, laughing at her brother.

"I worked last night. We didn't close until after five," he said, voice hoarse with sleep. Since his recovery from his injuries in Iraq and the resulting surgeries he'd been working as a bouncer and bartender at a few different bars around Seattle. "What's up, sis?" Arizona hesitated, chewing on her lip. If Timmy was tired… "Just spit it out," he advised with a deep laugh. "Do you need me to keep the munchkin tonight? That's cool. I'm not working."

"If you're too tired, it's okay…" Arizona started.

Tim yawned and she could hear him sit up. "No worries. Should I come over and pick her up, or…?"

"Tim…"

"You're a baby hog. Gimme my niece," he ordered. "I want her. I just got this really cool bouncy ball that glows in the dark. She's going to love it."

Arizona wanted to say he was kidding but she knew better than that. "Where did you get a glowing bouncy ball?" She did roll her eyes though. It's not like he could see her.

"Somebody gave it to me last night. They said I looked bored standing outside," he answered her, chuckling. "That was before we got busy and I just stuck it in my pocket."

"Why does it glow? It's not toxic or anything, is it?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "_No_. I won't let her put it in her mouth."

"I know, but…" But she was a paranoid, protective mother now.

"Don't worry," he stated, voice clearly fond of his little sister. "She's safe with me. You know that."

"I know that," confirmed Arizona with a deep breath. "Did you get the picture from Callie earlier?" He chuckled and she laughed with him. "You slept through it…"

"Hang on," he switched her to speakerphone so he could multitask. "I'm looking at it now," promised Tim, swiping the screen to pull up the image his sister-in-law had sent him. "Well, damn it if that isn't the cutest kid! Callie sent this to Mom already, didn't she?"

Arizona giggled, grinning to herself as she stopped by her office to check her messages. "Yeah, I think so. Think she'll like it?"

"Arizona, it is completely not fair that you and Callie will never have to think of something to get Mom and Dad for any present giving holiday for the rest of our lives. You just have to buy frames," he complained. He suddenly yawned again. "What time are you bringing her over?"

"I get off at six and I'll have to go home and get her a little bag and some bottles, but we should be at your place by seven at the latest."

"Alright," he said in the middle of another yawn. "That gives me time to get to the store. Have you run this by Teddy yet?"

"I'll take care of it," she promised. "Teddy likes babysitting, doesn't she?" she asked sarcastically.

"Sure, sometimes… I'll see you later, sis."

They hung up and Arizona debated going to look for her best friend or calling her. Chance took it out of her hands when she rounded the corner and bumped straight into her. "Arizona, hey! I got that picture earlier and she is just the cutest little thing in the world, isn't she?"

"She really is," Arizona agreed with a grin. She knew she was biased, but her daughter was perfect. "And speaking of how much you love her…" Teddy arched an eyebrow at her with a smirk. "I might have already asked Tim if you guys could keep her tonight…"

The heart surgeon held her expression for a long moment, smiling when she blinked. "Yeah, sure. We'll keep her out of trouble."

"Well, she probably mostly be sleeping, but thank you," Arizona said with a relieved smile. "You have _no_ _idea_ how much of a favor you're doing us."

That got the taller blonde's eyebrows rising, her smirk returning in a heartbeat. "Oh yeah? You and Callie got a date?"

"_Hell_ yes!" Arizona agreed emphatically. She couldn't help herself. It had been a _long_ few months and the wait was _finally_ over. Well, almost over. Close enough that she could almost taste it.

Her friend's eyes widened at the enthusiasm. "Say no more," she requested. "_Please _say no more." They all got along fine without knowing any kind of details about each other's sex lives.

Arizona grinned, dimples popping. "You got it. Thanks for keeping Sof tonight. I told Tim I'd get her packed up and bring her over around seven."

"Sounds good. You guys have fun," Teddy said, swatting her arm with a chart. "I probably won't be home until after seven, but I'll see you tomorrow when we bring her back."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Arizona chattered, waving as they parted ways. She needed to check on Kelly Simpson's post-ops, make sure Alex had everything under control, and then she could get Sofia, go home, and put a plan in place to seduce her wife.

Work actually cooperated and she was able to leave around six, picking up her daughter and getting them home with plenty of time. Sofia helped her out as well, sitting quietly in her bouncy seat and watching her mother tear back and forth around the house while she packed up an overnight bag for her and brushed her teeth and redid her makeup simultaneously. She grinned happily when her mother rushed down the stairs in heels and a pretty, clingy blue dress that hit just below mid-thigh.

"What do you think, Sof? Think Mami will like it?" Arizona asked, twirling breathlessly in front of Sofia's seat. The baby just grinned widely at her, wriggling a little for emphasis. "I hope so too." She'd bought the dress weeks ago, but put it in the back of the closet and forgot about it. And she hadn't worn it yet. What promised to be fun tonight would have been cruel before they could touch each other. "You ready to go see your Uncle Timmy?"

Tim gave her a second look as soon as he opened the door for them, clearly not expecting the dress. "Whoa."

"Yeah?" Arizona questioned with a laugh. "It's not too much?"

He closed his mouth with a click, shaking his head. "Callie's going to love it." Hooking Sofia's carrier from her, he shot her a look. "It is for Callie, right? Because sister or not, I'll kick your butt…"

Arizona rolled her eyes at him, shoving his shoulder and following him into the spacious apartment. "Of course it's for Callie. It's just our first… night off together in a while and I wanted to look halfway decent."

"Mission accomplished," he assured her, smirking over his shoulder at her as he set Sofia's carrier down and released her from the restraints. "Hey there, kiddo. Where's your pretty pink hat?" he asked, lightly teasing his sister as he picked up the baby.

"Oh, she still has it. She was holding it when I came to get her from daycare and she wouldn't let it go," Arizona said, pulling her scrub cap from the baby carrier where it had gotten stuffed between the seat and the side, wiggling it by the strings in front of Sofia's face. She didn't have to motor control yet to grab for it, but she clearly wanted it and Arizona handed it over to her brother. "She loves anything colorful."

"Well, I've got this," Tim pulled his bouncy ball out of his pocket and Sofia's eyes went wide at the neon orange orb. The timer went off in the kitchen behind them and Arizona cocked an eyebrow at him. "Hey, we've all got women we want to impress," he said with a shrug and playful grin.

Arizona laughed, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Well, good luck, then," she offered.

"You too," he said, turning Sofia so Arizona could kiss her goodbye. "Bye-bye, Mama!"

She could hear him talking to the baby as she went back down the hall and out the door, sneaking one final glance back at them, Tim bouncing the ball against the floor while Sofia did her best to track it with her eyes, her grin locked in place on her face.

There was traffic on her way home but even the delay and stop and go on the road didn't get her down. She was going to get to spend the entire night alone with Callie and they'd been waiting for months already. A few more minutes wouldn't kill her. At this point, her patience was nearing some kind of saintly level.

Pulling into the driveway, it was if the stars had aligned and the universe wanted her to get laid because Callie's car was already there. She rushed up the walkway toward the door, but took a moment outside to smooth her dress and tweak her hair before she entered the house. "Calliope, I'm home!"

"Hey," Callie called from the kitchen. "I thought you were going to beat me home. Where'd - oh my God…" she trailed off as she turned and caught sight of her wife. "Arizona… You look amazing…" she sighed, voice husky with need and entirely sexy. It was enough to make the blonde go weak in the knees. Callie looked down at herself. "I'm wearing jeans," she said dumbly. "And look at you…"

Arizona bit her lip, her own eyes drinking in the sight of her lover. Calliope Torres could wear a pair of jeans like no one else. And these were good jeans, clinging to all the right places. "You look great." Of course, Callie could wear a garbage bag and look incredible. "Calliope…"

Moving down the hall seemingly on autopilot, Callie reached for her as soon as she was in range, swallowing thickly through a dry throat. "Where's Sofia?"

"Tim's going to keep her tonight," Arizona answered her, her own voice hoarse.

Callie nodded, hand slipping across a bare shoulder and up her neck. "Good. I'm going to kiss you now," she said, brooking no discussion or argument, even if Arizona was inclined to make one.

"I hope you're going to do a hell of a lot more than that," Arizona breathed, heels giving her enough of a height boost to put her level with Callie's lips. All she had to do was lean in. Callie's hand was already searching for the zipper on her back. Life might never be perfect, but she couldn't imagine that it could get much better than this.

* * *

><p>Okay, so we're at the end of another part - I hope you guys are enjoying it and I hope you'll stick with me for part 4, the last part of the story.<p> 


	72. Chapter 59

Arizona Robbins knew before she opened her eyes that she was naked. And if the warm flesh underneath her was any indication, she was stretched out on top of her equally naked wife. Sofia's first night in her own bedroom had gone spectacularly for everyone involved, the three month old thinking nothing of her crib's relocation while her parents were happy to make use of the rediscovered privacy of their bedroom.

Of course, she wasn't sleeping through the night yet, so there had been more than one interruption of events, but it was something they were growing grudgingly accustomed to. And if the time on the clock Arizona peeked at with one eye was right, she had about two minutes to find her bathrobe.

Callie groaned as the baby monitor squawked on cue, Arizona rolling off of her and patting her butt lightly. "I'm up. I'll get her," she assured her, leaning over to kiss between her shoulder blades. She still took a moment to admire the woman she was leaving in bed as she slipped on a tank top and underwear, pulling her robe over her shoulders. Almost four years and a baby later and she still couldn't get enough of this woman. And her ass was still _fantastic_.

Tying her robe as she went into the hall, Arizona found her daughter quieting down to squeaky whimpers and leaned over the crib to pick her up. "Mama's here, it's okay," she coaxed, rocking her gently. "But it's still early, so I'm going to need you to go back to sleep, okay, sweetie?" As she spoke, she walked, pacing the green bedroom and keeping her voice low. This was normally the perfect recipe for coaxing Sofia back to sleep. And if she could get her back to sleep soon maybe she and Callie could make use of being awake again tonight.

The fates participated and Sofia was yawning almost immediately and blinking sleepy brown eyes up at her. She adored this perfect little face. Tracing one finger across her features gently, she tapped her daughter on the tip of her nose. "That's my girl," she whispered. "You're just the sweetest little girl in the whole wide world. Your Mama loves you more than anything." On her next turn she caught sight of Callie robed and leaning in the doorway and she quickly corrected herself, "You _and_ Mami. I love you both so much."

"Smooth," Callie murmured, arms crossed over her chest. "How is she?"

"She's fine. She just needed a quick cuddle," answered Arizona in the same low tone. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

The brunette just shrugged, smiling peacefully from her spot in the doorway. "My back got cold." She moved forward to look over the side of the crib with her when Arizona put Sofia back down in her bed. "And it's her first night in her own room. I wanted to check on her too." Curling her arm through Arizona's, she pecked a kiss to her cheek.

It appeared that Sofia was back down and peaceful, but they both stayed at the side of the crib for a few minutes to just enjoy her. She really was miraculous. Everything about her made them both fall deeper in love with her.

"We should let her sleep," Arizona whispered, her head leaning against Callie's shoulder beside her. "We can get some more sleep."

"We could," agreed Callie, stepping backward and pulling Arizona with her by the arm. "Or we could _not_ sleep for a little while longer…"

Arizona's smirk was immediate, her blue eyes raking her wife's form. "Yeah?" she asked hopefully.

Callie just nodded, biting her lip and playing with the knot of her robe with her free hand. "Pull her door all the way," she requested. "I think Alex's got a girl over." Their former roommate was crashing with them temporarily while his apartment building was being fumigated. And they had no problem with him having a social life, but it wouldn't be in the room with their daughter.

"Well, hell if Karev's the only person getting laid in _our _house tonight!" Arizona declared as she obligingly pulled the door closed behind her. There was a nightlight next to the crib that would soothe Sofia if she woke up again and the camera for the baby monitor had a night mode.

Laughing, Callie steered her lover back into their bedroom. "Technically he's not, babe," she reminded her. "Remember?"

"Of course I remember, Calliope!" Her throat went dry when Callie shrugged out of her robe and let the silky fabric slip to the floor. Holy hell, this woman was gorgeous. No one who'd just had a baby should look this good. Not that she was unappreciative. "Um, actually, I don't think I do remember that clearly," she said hoarsely. "Maybe you should remind me…"

Callie eagerly snuck her hands into the sides of Arizona's robe, sliding her hands down the blonde's sides to coax the loose knot free and biting her lip again. "You're beautiful," she sighed, meeting worshipping blue eyes.

"You are," Arizona whispered, licking her lips unconsciously. And Callie couldn't argue because she could see the truth of it in those eyes. Hands on her hips guided her backwards blindly but she let it happen. Arizona wouldn't let her stumble or fall. "Lay down," the blonde requested when their mattress touched the back of her knees.

"Strip," countered Callie with an arching eyebrow. If she was naked, she wanted Arizona naked too. She moved when the blonde slipped the robe off and let it fall where it would. Blue eyes didn't waver from her as she stretched out, only breaking their stare when she pulled her shirt over her head. Callie hooked her own fingers in the side of her panties and tugged her to join her on the bed, both hands sliding them down her legs and dropping them out of sight.

Arizona instantly laid her body along Callie's, thriving in so much skin on skin contact. Her hand was soft on the tanned cheek and she leaned up on one elbow to lean in and kiss her slowly. Callie's hands returned to her hip and trailed over her ass for a squeeze and prompted a smile into their kiss. Gentle tugging coaxed the blonde to slip impossibly closer, Callie craning up against her lips.

Kisses trailing down her neck and chest made her back arch, one of Arizona's hands sliding across her abdomen. "You're so beautiful," the blonde murmured without lifting her head from tanned skin. "Have I ever told you that you're miraculous? Because I really should have. You're a miracle, Calliope."

Unexpectedly strong fingers wove through her hair and tugged her head up. Brown eyes were dark and deep with emotion and her voice was hoarse as she spoke, "Make love to me, Arizona."

Nodding, the blonde went back to her task, kissing a slow, worshipful path down her lover's body. Callie could have screamed when Arizona reached the top of her thigh only to retrace her trail back up, but restrained herself to a moan of protest. "I'll take care of you," she promised softly, dropping a kiss to her chest. "Trust me."

And she did, but it was hard to have what she wanted so close but so far at the same time. It was the same torture that had been keeping them apart after Sofia was born. But they were back and everything was back to normal. Arizona finally reached her breasts again, lingering more this time to tease each into a peak between her hands and her lips. "I love you," Callie gasped helplessly when teeth nipped at her and a warm, slick tongue immediately soothed the sensation.

One of Arizona's hands had snuck away and Callie bucked, groaning loudly when she felt it between her legs, Arizona hushing her with a laugh. "Shh," she reminded her in a whisper. "We've got to be quiet. Can you do that for me?"

Callie nodded, gasping and squeezing her eyes closed. She had to bite her lip when Arizona slipped inside her, pushing deep and leaving her fingers there. Arizona resumed her slow, languid, teasing exploration of her lover's body, her other hand thrusting shallowly without withdrawing. "Arizona, please!" Callie pleaded, beyond feeling desperation. She just needed her.

The next thrust was deeper, fingers curling as they withdrew to bump the spot she knew would send Callie over the edge screaming. But they did have to be quiet so she didn't linger. She shifted her hips to back the thrusts but didn't pick up the pace, wanting it to come slowly, build up as she attempted to show Callie exactly how deeply she was loved.

Hands roamed where they would, across Arizona's back and chest, up her neck to tangle in her hair, down her stomach to tease her curls, and Callie just tried to close her eyes and ride out the sensations her wife was giving her. "I love you!" she gasped out when she couldn't stay silent anymore, the words completely beyond her control. It had simply become impossible to _not_ say it. "Arizona…" One hand in her hair steered her into a blistering kiss, her other hand sliding in between their bodies and immediately finding the blonde's tender clit. Feeling her own peak finally close, she applied the rolling rhythm that she knew would bring Arizona with her.

Their orgasms struck only a few seconds apart, Arizona having to break their kiss to breathe, gasping her own love for Callie to hear. She collapsed limply onto her again when their tremors receded, leaving them sated and breathless. "Oh my God… that was…"

"I know," Callie agreed, breathing hard herself. "Thank you isn't enough…"

"My pleasure," declared Arizona with a chuckle, picking her head up to peck a kiss to the top of Callie's chest, able to feel her thumping heartbeat under her lips. Sliding off of her, she cuddled into her side while Callie found the sheet with one hand and covered them. Outside the moonlight was clear, the full face shining through the window to wrap them both in white light.

Waking before Sofia was rare, but Callie was happy to get the baby monitor away from the sleeping Arizona before cries woke her up. They both had the morning off and she wanted her wife to enjoy a bit of sleeping in. It was the least she deserved after last night, she reflected with a smile as she collected the monitor and left their bedroom with a soft click.

A skinny redheaded woman in her underwear was coming out of the bathroom across the hall and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. At least Alex hadn't been the only one in the house to get laid last night. And she was fairly certain that Alex hadn't experienced anything like she had with Arizona. "Hi," she greeted her dryly, gesturing for the other woman to go ahead of her down the hall.

"Hey." The redhead was sheepish, attempting to untangle her hair with her fingers. "I guess you're one of Alex's roommates."

Callie confirmed it with a smile and nod, Sofia's wake up cries sounding through the door just as they reached her room. "Excuse me," she said, opening the bedroom door to go to her daughter. "Good morning, baby girl," she cooed, picking her up. "You did so good in your own room! Mami's so proud of you!" she praised. She was happy every day that their daughter had gotten the Robbins' smile. She lived for those dimples.

After a quick diaper change they were downstairs, Sofia settling in with a bottle hungrily while Callie sorted through the fridge for breakfast options. Footsteps on the stairs made her sigh, thinking that Arizona had already woken up, but when she turned it proved to be Karev's flavor of the week in more clothes and she gave the woman another awkward smile.

"Funny running into you here!" she joked. "I'm Breanne!"

"Callie," the surgeon introduced herself.

"Oh, is that your daughter? Alex said there was a baby!" Breanne leaned over the slurping Sofia, the baby just blinking wide brown eyes at the stranger. Even with the difference in coloring she looked startlingly like Arizona. Her eyes moved nervously from her mother to the other woman, trying to decide if she was going to spit her bottle out to scream.

Callie gently moved her hand to the back of the bottle and she sighed and relaxed, trusting that her mother knew what was best. "This is Sofia."

"She's adorable! She looks a lot like your husband, huh?"

Sighing, Callie shook her head. "Actually, she looks just like my wife," she corrected her, mildly curious what reaction that would get.

"Oh, cool! Congratulations!" Breanne offered without missing a beat, leaning over to smile at Sofia. "How old is she?"

"Fourteen weeks."

"Well, she's _super_ cute!"

"Thank you," said Callie with an amused smirk, Alex shrugging at her from the hallway behind his date. "Good morning, Karev."

"Torres," he greeted her. "Breanne, don't you have to leave for work? I do."

She shot a look over her shoulder at him. "I was just trying to be nice to _your_ roommate! And it's a cute baby!"

"Bye," Alex said, one arm ushering her out toward the front door.

"Goodbye Alex," Callie called after him, laughing. "Uncle Alex should try and find a girl that he's _not _ashamed to introduce to you, huh? That's how we'll know he's got a good one!" She shifted her as the little girl finished her bottle, making little cooing noises already.

Rocking her against her shoulder, she patted her back until she got a good burp, Sofia content to be held while Callie cooked. The resumption of her happy noises told her when Arizona made her appearance, the blonde's warm voice behind her. "There's the two prettiest girls in the world! I was looking for you two!"

Callie leaned over for a kiss to the cheek and let Arizona take the baby from her. "Did you sleep well? We didn't wake you up?"

"Nope, slept fine. I went looking for Little Miss Screams-A-Lot but it looks like she's calmer today."

Laughing, Callie nodded. "We met Karev's latest special friend but he hustled her out of here in a hurry. It's been a pretty mellow morning though."

And the rest of the morning was mellow as well, getting to go into work and take Sofia to the nursery together before they had to part ways. Arizona was carrying their daughter off the elevator and they greeted Teddy with a smile. "You guys look happy. Good morning off?" she asked gleefully as she leaned over to make faces at her goddaughter.

"Absolutely," Arizona answered her, grinning. "Calliope made breakfast and we cleaned up around the house."

Callie just shrugged when Teddy gave her a doubtful look. Her wife made her own fun. And she liked having a clean house now that they had a baby around. It would be interesting to watch her cope when Sofia started crawling and could get into everything around the house. But Arizona was nothing if not a capable woman. And it was amazing to watch her be a loving mother. She would make it work.

They had just reached the nursery doors when Callie's pager went off and she sighed. "I've got to go. You two have a good day," she offered, dropping a kiss on Sofia's head and on Arizona's lips. "Love you."

"Love you too," Arizona echoed with a smile, waving Sofia's hand at her.

Following her page to the ER, Callie found a pair of anxious parents gathered around a young girl who was holding her left arm protectively to her chest. "Hi, I'm Dr. Torres. I'm here to take a look at your arm." Scanning her chart, she noticed that the parents had mentioned that the nine year old was a month post-op from a surgery at Seattle Grace. "Kelly, I see here that you had surgery here at the hospital. How have you been feeling?"

"Fine," she answered, holding her arm closer. "Dr. Alex fixed me." Her uninjured hand pulled the bottom of her shirt up to display her scar without prompting. There was no sign of infection and Callie nodded for her to put her shirt back down. "I fell down and hurt my arm," she offered, sniffling as she held it gingerly out to the doctor for inspection.

Callie didn't touch her yet, not wanting to hurt her. "She was playing outside," the mother explained. "I thought it was too soon for her to be playing, but it's… _He_ was supposed to be watching her!"

"Well, I need to order an x-ray to see how severe the fracture is, but it shouldn't be anything too bad," Callie said to reassure her, not wanting to be around if these parents started fighting. "And her incision site doesn't look infected, but I'm going to ask Dr. Karev to stop by and see you, just to check in with Kelly."

She returned a little while later when a resident paged that the x-rays were done, distracted just as she reached the ER again and frowning at a page from the nursery. Sofia had only been in daycare for an hour. And she couldn't walk or talk and could barely even reach for anything specific yet - how much trouble could she have caused? And she had a patient at this second… If it was anything urgent they would page Arizona too. And if neither of them could be reached, they'd page Teddy or call Tim.

"Hey, Kelly," she greeted her young patient in a rushed tone, snapping the x-rays into the light box to check them. "It looks like you did break your wrist but I'll get a doctor to put a cast on for you and you'll be just fine in a few weeks. How's that sound?"

"Thank you, Dr. Torres!" cried the girl's mother, stroking her daughter's hair back.

"No trouble at all," Callie said easily, calling for casting supplies and a resident, surprised when one of the fifth years came in with a very familiar crying infant in her arms, her surgical gown blowing behind her. "Kepner, what do you think you're doing? How did you get her out of daycare?"

The frazzled auburn haired doctor, someone she'd seen around but wasn't terribly familiar with, juggled the baby and diaper bag until Callie took Sofia from her. "Dr. Robbins is in surgery, and I was scrubbed in but she sent me down to the nursery for her."

"So why did they give her to you?" asked Callie pointedly. They had to raise their voices to be heard over Sofia's crying. She wanted to know why the nursery was giving her kid out to random residents, even if she had been scrubbed in on Arizona's surgery.

"They said she started running a fever. They said she can't be around the other kids until it goes down."

Shit. Testing her daughter's forehead against the back of her hand, she groaned. It was a high fever too. "I'm not sure why you thought bringing my sick, infant daughter into the ER full of sick people was a good idea, but you're here so, Kepner, I need you here," the resident sighed at missing out on the rest of her surgery but didn't argue, "Kelly Simpson, age nine, needs a cast on her left arm. You got it?"

"Yes, Dr. Torres."

Her tone softened, "Thank you, Kepner. Does Dr. Robbins have her phone on in the OR?" April answered affirmatively, echoing her last statement. The Simpsons were watching curiously, Mrs. Simpson looking at Sofia almost as if she recognized her. "Ma'am, I've got to go, I'm sorry, but Dr. Kepner is going to fix Kelly up right away." She left after getting a nod from the parents, not looking back but whispering to the still crying Sofia.

In their wake Mrs. Simpson was watching her go with a frown on her face. "Dr. Kepner?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Kepner answered, taking a seat on Callie's abandoned stool. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just… the baby - that was Dr. Robbins' daughter, wasn't it?"

Frowning in confusion, the doctor nodded. "Yes, she is. You know Dr. Robbins?" It was odd that someone would know Arizona but not be aware of her wife or daughter.

"She helped Dr. Alex fix me last time!" Kelly chimed in eagerly.

"I guess - Are she and Dr. Torres friends?"

Smiling nervously, April nodded again. "Um, they're definitely friends. Is there something you wanted to ask, ma'am?"

"Dr. Torres said that was _her _daughter…"

Kepner frowned again, not sure what the point was. "She is her daughter…" She thought nothing of it. Arizona had never flaunted her sexuality but she'd never hidden it either. It was just part of who she was. And she and Callie, in spite of the drama when George and Izzie had arrived, were probably the most steady couple in the hospital. They were happy, obviously in love, and had a new baby - they were the inspirational couple for the rest of the staff. (And the envy of all of the women.) The happy family had become such a stable staple around the hospital that it completely slipped her mind that some people outside weren't quite as understanding or open-minded.


	73. Chapter 60

The sound of Arizona's phone ringing was barely audible over the sound of Sofia's crying, breaking her heart with every single scream. The baby's cold had transitioned straight into colic, subjecting them all to helpless misery.

Answering it, Arizona wedged the phone between ear and shoulder as she leaned back into the couch and used her foot to rock Sofia in her bouncy, swinging seat. "Yes sir, Chief?"

"Dr. Robbins…" he sounded serious, but his tone softened when he heard the crying baby in the background. "Is your daughter still sick?"

"She can't shake this cough, no sir," she said regretfully. And there was nothing they could do to comfort her. It was infuriating and heartbreaking when she just wanted her baby to get a moment's peace. And she loved her daughter, she really did, but selfishly, some sleep for herself sounded nice too. "Did you need something, sir? I think we're both about to leave…" And Tim had offered to come over and stay with Sofia to give a break to the intern Arizona had borrowed from Alex to keep eyes on Sofia during the day while she was in surgery.

"I need to see you and Dr. Torres both in my office whenever you get here, please," he requested, prompting a frown on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, sir," answered Arizona, confused. Callie came down the stairs in a rush, both hands busy with her earrings. "We'll be there," she said, hanging up the phone.

The expression on her wife's face made Callie pause as she leaned over to check on Sofia, frowning at her. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Arizona's mouth worked up and down without words for a second. "I - uh - the Chief wants to see us in his office when we get to work."

Callie picked up Sofia but her frown deepened. "Okay, did he say why? Have we even had any cases together lately?"

"No. And it's not like we've done anything in the hospital that would get us in trouble," Arizona tried to reason it out. Their sex life was more or less back on track (less again now that Sofia was sleeping less than ever) but nothing too scandalous had happened in the hospital for their Chief to chide them for.

"Well, it's not like we've done anything wrong. We'll just have to go talk to him and see what this is about," Callie offered reassuringly, rocking her whimpering, miserable baby. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry you don't feel good," she said, kissing her forehead lightly.

Tim let himself in, calling a greeting as he shook the rain off his hair. "What's up with her?" he asked when he saw his sister's face, returning Callie's kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, we just got called into the Chief's office," Callie answered him, looking over her shoulder at her wife, the blonde chewing on her lip and clearly anxious. "She's letting it _get to her_ even though we didn't do anything wrong," she called, trying to get her partner to stop obsessing.

Laughing, Tim shook his head as he took the baby. "Don't hold your breath, Cal. She nearly had a heart attack the _one_ time she ever got sent to the principal's office in school."

Callie's mouth dropped open in disbelief. No way her Type-A, perfectionist wife had ever gotten sent to the office. "What did she do?"

"I'm standing right here!" Arizona said from behind them, waving her arms for emphasis. "I can hear you!"

They both ignored her. "She punched a kid," answered Tim with a laugh. Callie sent a stunned look over her shoulder, Arizona scrambling around the end of the couch to join them. "Not like she was bullying him or anything…" She'd hit a boy? Interesting… "He was picking on this girl in the grade below her and Arizona wouldn't stand for it, would you, sis?" he teased, punching his sister lightly in the shoulder and smirking.

"That guy was a jerk!" she defended herself, shooting a look at him. "I seem to recall that you got involved too!"

Tim scoffed, unconsciously puffing out his chest. "Of course I did. I'm not letting some ass say the stuff he said to you!"

Blue eyes rolled. "He called me a lesbian…" He just shrugged broad shoulders, not seeing the relevance. "I _am_ a lesbian…" she reminded him slowly, Callie biting back a smirk at the third point of their triangle

"Yeah, but it was the _way _he said it," Tim said, shrugging again and bouncing Sofia. "Did someone at the hospital call you a lesbian in a mean way and you hit them?"

Arizona shook her head, eyes rolling again. "No. I mean, not that I know of. Calliope…?"

She put up both hands in defense, shaking her head as well. "Not me! I mean, I would totally go cage fighter on someone if they said something about you or Sof, but as far as I know it hasn't happened."

Tim was grinning widely, pleased with the protective display. "I'm sure no one would have the balls to say anything straight to you with a promise like that," he commented, joking but not. And if anyone ever did say anything to either one of them, they wouldn't be on their own on the ass-kicking front.

Laughing, Arizona used the front of Callie's dark sweater to haul her in for a kiss. "First," she said softly, "the cage fighter, protective thing? Super hot." Her eyes shot toward her brother. "From her, not you. You're just sweet." Tim shrugged, satisfied. "Second, call us if she starts to sound worse or phlegm-y or anything." He grimaced in sympathy and looked down at his niece, her eyes red from coughing and crying as she stared back up at him. Arizona leaned in to kiss her daughter's cheeks, brushing her dark hair back gently. "I love you, munchkin. Feel better, baby girl," she whispered to the infant, her heart aching at the inability to lessen her baby's suffering.

Callie took her place, kissing the infant and speaking quietly to her, taking her bag from Arizona's hand as she stepped back. "You two have a good day. And call us if…"

"I got it!" Tim said, shooing them. "Just watch! One day with her Uncle Tim's going to knock this colic stuff _out_!" He waved from the doorway and waited until they were climbing into the car before he called after Arizona, "Let me know if you get detention and have to stay after work to write lines!"

Callie couldn't hold back her snort of laughter fast enough and blue eyes narrowed at her, the blonde's silence pointed. "Sorry," the Latina apologized sheepishly, trying a grin. "He's funny…" No response. "We haven't done anything wrong, Arizona," she reminded her, picking her hand up from the center console and kissing the back of it. "He just needs to talk to us. It's going to be okay."

In spite of her wife's reassurances, Arizona was still nervous when she knocked on the Chief of Surgery's door, turning the knob when he called for them to enter. Dr. Webber was reading over some documents at his desk and he looked up at them and gestured to the seats across the desk from him. "Dr. Robbins, Dr. Torres, please, sit." He fidgeted with his reading glasses as they obeyed.

Callie had to coax her along with a hand in the small of her wife's back but Arizona obediently sat down. Damn her authority issues that made her want to cry without even knowing why they'd been asked to come in. Of course, he'd been her Chief since she was a resident and he was quite familiar with her infrequent crying jags.

Having sympathy on her partner, Callie cleared her throat to break the silence. "Dr. Webber, is there something going on that we're not aware of that would make you ask us both in?"

His brown eyes shifted to her. "Dr. Torres, are you familiar with a patient named Kelly Simpson?"

It had been two weeks since Kelly had come in with her broken wrist, but the cast was on the schedule to be removed today, so it wasn't a difficult case to recall, even with nothing spectacular about it. "Yes, sir," she said, frowning in confusion.

"And Dr. Robbins, you treated her as well, did you not?"

Arizona was frowning in confusion and glanced sideways at Callie. "Yes, sir. Dr. Karev did the procedure but I was overseeing. It was a textbook surgery, sir," she said confidently. She had Alex's back. That surgery had been flawless. "Were there complications?" Her eyes jumped back to Callie. "You treated her too? What for?"

"She broke her wrist playing two weeks ago. Her parents noted that she was in here a few weeks before that so I checked her incision but it looked fine. And I asked Alex to come by and double check on her. I was supposed to cast her up but that was the day Sofia had that really high fever. April Kepner did the cast, but she's a fifth year, not an intern, Chief. She shouldn't need an attending to double check her on a cast."

He cleared his throat, shifting the papers and files on his desk restlessly. "Doctors, the reason I asked you to come in was not related to your patient's care. Her recovery from surgery has been fine as far as her parents indicate. And she seems eager to have her cast removed today." He paused, grimacing. It was clear that he didn't want to say whatever he had to say next. "How much personal information did you share with the Simpsons during your treatment of their daughter?"

Frowning, they both looked at each other again in confusion. They were professionals. And sure, maybe they _occasionally_ fooled around in an on-call room, and they didn't hide who they were around the hospital, but they certainly didn't chat about their lives with their patients.

"I don't think I told them anything, sir," Arizona started uncertainly, trying to think. She'd done the talking to cover for Alex's post-surgery nerves, but she'd only talked about the operation. "Sofia," she realized. "I had her because I was taking her back down to the nursery. Mrs. Simpson asked if she was my daughter. I think that was all either one of us said that wasn't about the surgery."

Callie spoke up, trying to mentally replay her encounter with the Simpsons, "I saw them initially and it was all business. When I came back after the x-rays were done I was only there for a few minutes before Kepner came in with Sofia from the daycare. They needed me to take her home because she was sick and they didn't want the other kids to catch it."

"And did any of this conversation involve Mrs. Simpson?" Dr. Webber pressed, Arizona's eyes staying on Callie.

"No, sir," she answered decisively. "I mean, we were a few feet away, I guess, but we weren't talking to her. I was talking to Kepner, I told the Simpsons I had to leave, and I left." She leaned forward in her chair, elbows on knees. "Sir, what's this about?" Callie asked bluntly.

He sighed, clearly regretful, one hand rubbing over his smoothly shaved bald head. "Mrs. Simpson, at some point in your interactions with her, became aware of your status as a married couple and has requested that neither of you be part of the teams that might provide care to her daughter in the future." He plainly didn't want to say what he was saying, but a request from the patient was a powerful factor. He couldn't just deny the bigoted woman. No matter how he felt about it personally.

Arizona's mouth was open, eyes wide, but she didn't let her shoulders slump under the frustrated despair she felt suddenly. No self-righteous asshole got to… She had to stop the thoughts, a squeak of protest escaping as she realized that tears were welling in her eyes.

The Chief stood up and rounded his desk to sit on the edge of it in front of them, his hands on his knees. "Doctor Robbins, Torres, I want to state for you both, unequivocally and without a single reservation, that you are two of our best surgeons and doctors and she is doing her daughter a disservice by making this request. Do you understand?" His eyes moved from Callie's face to Arizona's, both of them waiting for a reaction from her. Callie offered her hand across the gap between their chairs, the blonde taking it immediately and squeezing down hard.

"Thank you, sir," Arizona choked out hoarsely, blinking furiously at her lap to keep the tears at bay. "I'm sorry if we caused you any trouble…"

"Dr. Robbins, I have no doubts about your professionalism," he assured her, leaning over to catch her eyes. "I don't ask that you hide who you are, and from what I can tell about the situation, it's not as though you did anything that crossed a line. People are going to think whatever they want to think, no matter that she's denying her daughter the best care for no reason at all."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, Arizona still trying to regain control of her emotions while Callie stewed quietly. People sucked. Especially people who judged other people on things that were none of their damn business. And most especially people who made her wife cry. "Dr. Webber, if that's all…"

"Of course." He stood up again. "Again, I'm sorry about this, doctors. It's not about abilities, it's blind prejudice…"

Callie nodded brusquely, standing up and coaxing Arizona to her feet. "Thank you for your sensitivity, sir. We appreciate it." Without waiting to be dismissed further, she escorted her partner out.

Once they were out in the hall, Arizona seemed to recover from her dazed stupor quickly now that they were out from under the eyes of their Chief. The haze was replaced with frustration and anger. "How - what - Callie…"

The shortened version of her name told her exactly how upset her partner really was and she squeezed her hand. "Come on," she said, pulling her along across the breezeway. The first on-call room they passed was thankfully empty and Arizona started pacing as soon as the door closed behind them. Callie took a minute to send a text to Karev asking him to take care of cutting off Kelly Simpson's cast. It wasn't her fault her mother was a bigoted shrew.

Stepping into her wife's path got Arizona to stop walking, though she did let out a huff of frustration. "How are people so stupid?" she asked rhetorically.

"I don't know, baby," Callie answered her, both hands holding the blonde head still so she could kiss her forehead. "I'm so sorry." Both of Arizona's arms curled around her, her face leaning forward to rest against the brunette's shoulder, and Callie sighed, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry…"

Shaking her head, Arizona squeezed her tighter. "No. You don't apologize for her. She doesn't know us. She doesn't understand us. She doesn't get to judge us."

"No, she doesn't," Callie murmured her agreement. Fingers moved through blonde hair. "I love you and Sofia more than anything, more than I ever thought I would love anyone. And love like that, how I feel for you and you feel for me and how we feel for our daughter, anyone who doesn't want that around them, I feel sorry for them," she declared, her voice low. "Please don't let that stupid woman upset you. You're better than she is and she's not worth it."

Against the soft fabric of Callie's top, Arizona couldn't help smiling. Callie liked being a badass, but she really was a sweetheart. "Can we call Sofia?" she asked, voice small. "Tim could just hold the phone up to her ear or we could use that video thing to look at her…" She knew it was silly, but she just wanted to see their baby. Callie didn't say anything, just dug her phone out of her pocket and hit the speed dial.

Tim answered on the first ring, "Hey, how'd it go? You guys get busted for doing the dirty somewhere?"

"No, some homophobe doesn't want us on her daughter's case anymore," Arizona answered him shortly. "Make the phone do the thing so we can see Sof," she requested, resting comfortably against Callie and enjoying the feeling of her wife's arm curled protectively over her shoulder.

Callie smiled over her head, amused by the blonde's refusal to learn the names of apps on the phone. She swiped her finger over the screen and pushed the one to connect her phone to Timothy's. He was already holding the camera over the sleeping baby and they both let out simultaneous cleansing breaths. Their little girl, their family, could never be wrong.

It took Callie a second to notice that the infant wasn't crying. Her breathing was hoarse and rough, but she was asleep. "Tim, how did you do that? She's sleeping!"

He laughed, keeping it down to avoid disturbing the baby. "I told you. Uncle Tim's got the mojo!" Even Arizona's impressive skill with babies hadn't been a match for their daughter's colic thus far so he might be right about that.

"Oh my God, she's so beautiful," Arizona sighed, two fingers brushing across the curve of her little cheek as though she could actually touch her through the phone. "Thank you for keeping her for us today."

Callie pressed her lips to blonde hair silently, rubbing her shoulders and trailing fingers up and down her back. Sofia was working her magic, even asleep, Arizona's nerves easing and her body starting to relax. "Thank you, Tim," she agreed quietly.

"Sure thing," he replied. "Anything you guys need."

Arizona didn't say anything and Callie kissed her temple. "We might be calling you after lunch, but we'll see how it goes." She didn't know how this news first thing in the morning would affect their day. Bonus time with the baby, even over the phone, would be welcome though.

"Bye, brother. That was what I needed but we've got to go to work. Thank you." Hanging up, Arizona took a deep breath, turning her head against Callie's shoulder so she could hear her heart beating. "I hate that people like that can get to me…"

"Then don't let her. It doesn't affect us. We don't have to do anything differently because of her," Callie reminded her. "She's the one who is going to go through her life hating, or fearing, or judging, or whatever the hell she thinks about us for the rest of her life. And that sounds miserable to me." Callie kissed the side of her head again, nose nuzzling into her hair while her lips nudged the blonde's ear. "But we get to be so, _so_ happy, and ridiculously in love with each other and with our adorable, perfect little girl."

Taking a shaky breath, Arizona leaned into her completely. Callie would never let her fall. "You like being a hardcore badass, Calliope, but really you have the biggest heart. You - you have the biggest heart of anybody… And I love that about you. I love everything about you."

Callie's hand on the back of her neck coaxed her head up to meet her lips for a soft, slow, gentle kiss. Straightening up gave Arizona more contact between their mouths, let her slip both arms over the Latina's shoulders, press her body against her wife's warm curves from chest to knees. The hand on her neck slid up, fingers into her hair to grip and tease while she let her bottom lip drop, Callie sucking on it lightly the way she loved. Nothing mattered but her. Them, together, and their family. Some idiot could never diminish that, diminish _them_.

They kept their foreheads together as they slowly separated, Arizona looking up to catch brown eyes. "Can I walk you to Peds?" Callie asked in a whisper, feeling like nothing so much as a kid in school asking to carry the pretty girl's books to class for her. But it was a feeling she loved. She would've totally carried Arizona's books to class if they'd met in school. The thought made her laugh and Arizona smiled at her.

"What's funny, gorgeous?" she asked, stepping back and taking her hand to leave the on-call room and holding it as they walked down the hall.

"I was just thinking that if we had ever been in school together, I would have totally been the geeky kid asking to carry your books to class for you," Callie confessed, bumping her shoulder with a smile.

Laughing, blonde eyebrows rose. "And in this scenario what am I?"

"You're the school hot girl, of course," Callie answered her, making it clear that it should have been obvious.

"I _was _the school hot girl," agreed Arizona with a chuckle. "But no one as pretty as you ever offered to carry my books." She pulled down on Callie's hand at the same time she rose on her toes to deliver a tanned cheek to her for a kiss.

Exchanging almost shy glances, the walk felt entirely too short, but Callie reluctantly let her hand go when they reached the double doors of Peds. "So, lunch?" she asked, scuffing her sneaker along the floor and tucking her hands in the pockets of her coat.

"Absolutely," Arizona agreed with her usual perky smile. Calliope Torres was amazing. That was all there was to it. "I love you."

The smile she got in response was dazzling, sending the same flutter through her heart as it had four years earlier when she'd first seen it over drinks at the bar. They'd come so far since then. And she wouldn't trade a single second of it.

"I love you too."


	74. Chapter 61

"How is it possible that you're _this_ nervous?" Teddy asked with a laugh as she adjusted her hair. "It's not even your wedding," she reminded her friend. "You're already married."

"How is it possible you're _not_ nervous?" countered Arizona. "It's stressing me out that you're so calm," she snapped, pacing.

"Is it separation anxiety?" the heart surgeon guessed instead, grinning in the mirror at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. "Being away from the baby?"

Arizona scoffed, eyes rolling. "They're down the hall. I _can_ be away from them for an hour or two." She grinned abruptly. "Callie got a new dress. She's surprising me with it later!"

"I know. I've seen it. It's hot," Teddy informed her smugly, smirking when Arizona gaped at her. "It's my wedding! I get to do whatever I want! And she's in the wedding. I helped pick it out."

Considering that, Arizona nodded. "As long as the dress is all you peeked on, that's okay, I guess," she declared.

Teddy shot her a wink, shaking her head at her best friend. "I'm much more interested in peeking on your brother than your wife, Arizona."

The blonde groaned loudly, nose wrinkling. "Gross!"

"You deserved it," Teddy stated with a shrug, still picking at the long curls in her hair. "Me peeking at Callie? Really?"

Biting her lip, Arizona shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry," she sighed. "You not freaking out is really messing with my head." Teddy turned from the mirror and Arizona stepped over the train of her dress as it moved with her. "You're really ready for this?"

Teddy just smiled. "Weren't you? Walking down the aisle to Callie?"

"Oh yeah," she sighed happily, knowing that her grin was goofy as hell, but not caring. "Okay, then let's do this!" Peeking into the hall to make sure the coast was clear found Callie doing the same thing down the hall and Arizona grinned, pulling the door closed behind her. "Hey, babe! How's it going on your end?" While she was standing up with Teddy, Callie was standing up with Tim.

Callie came into the hall for Arizona's first view of her new dress and the blonde whistled appreciatively, waving her hand and trying to get a spin. Callie blushed but complied, getting a whoop from her wife. "Okay, enough of that," the brunette said. "Tim's doing better than I was. Very calm and cool."

"Teddy's the same way! She's giving me a hard time for being more nervous than she is!" Arizona replied, not really believing that the other couple was holding it together better than they had. "How's our angel?" she asked eagerly.

"Sleeping. Your mom came and got her a little while ago," Callie told her, smiling. Their family was perfect. "Is Teddy ready to go?"

Tim joined them in the hall suddenly, fiddling with his collar. "Hey sis, can you…?"

"You know how to do this," Arizona reminded him, fixing the top few buttons of his uniform's jacket and giving him an affectionate smile. "There you go," she declared, patting his chest. "You ready to get out there?"

His Robbins grin made the answer clear and Callie smiled as she saw the siblings' matching dimples. "You're up, then us, then Teddy, right?"

"You got it," he confirmed, offering an arm to each of them. Arizona knocked on Teddy's door as she took it and they started outside.

Tim had just reached the front of the aisle when Teddy came out behind them, staying out of sight. "You ready?" Arizona asked again with a grin, handing her friend the bouquet.

"You just don't trip, Robbins. We're here to make me look good," Teddy returned, the three women laughing.

"I won't let her trip," Callie promised, tucking her arm through Arizona's. "You look beautiful, Teddy. We'll see you on the other side."

Reaching the front of the aisle they split off to their places in the front of the crowd, Barbara already wiping tears from her eyes, Sofia asleep in her arms. There was a carrier next to her chair, but she was still holding the baby.

Teddy's entrance got a gasp from the groom and Arizona grinned across the platform at her own wife, getting an answering, knowing smile in return. Arizona was just as stunning as she'd been at their own wedding. And more beautiful now than she had been then, if it was possible.

During the vows Callie couldn't help sneaking glances at Arizona, the woman she'd exchanged the same promises with that Tim and Teddy were making. Catching her wife's eyes just as Tim was finishing his vows, Callie saw her mouth 'I do' as her brother said it aloud. And when Teddy reached the end of her own vows, Callie silently echoed Arizona's gesture, mouthing the words back to her. She would happily trade vows with Arizona Robbins every single day for the rest of her life.

They were the first ones cheering when the officiant announced "Mr. and Mrs. Timothy and Theodora Robbins, Arizona clapping and whooping as they walked down the aisle and she and Callie met in the middle to follow them out. Arizona turned her head to look at her wife when she caught a kiss on the cheek, Callie smiling as she took her arm. "What was that for?" asked Arizona curiously, her voice soft.

"I just love you," Callie answered, winking as she had to prompt Arizona to walk, using her arm to give her partner a gentle push. "They said to kiss your bride."

"Ooh, very smooth," complemented the blonde with a laugh, smiling as her mother waved Sofia's hand at them. "My mom's crying," she noted, whispering.

"She's happy," Callie reminded her. "Both of her kids are married to really awesome people and she's got her first grandkid sitting in her lap. She's got lots of reasons to be happy."

"Yeah, she does," Arizona agreed. "Tim did do pretty good. I love Teddy, but my wife is totally more awesome than his."

The brunette bumped her in the side with an elbow as they walked. "It's not a competition, baby," Callie said with a laugh. "You might be a little biased because I sleep with you."

"You're hotter than Teddy," Arizona stated without missing a beat, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Arizona!" Callie rebuked her, her head shaking.

"What? Teddy's my best friend and she's a beautiful woman. She's so happy she's glowing today," Arizona explained, the two wandering toward where they would meet the photographer. "But she doesn't set me on fire, Calliope. That's just you."

Callie arched an expressive eyebrow and her smile grew slowly. "I set you on fire?"

"Since the first second I saw you in Joe's," Arizona confirmed with a decisive nod. "I saw you and I had to talk to you. I knew I wasn't going to have a good night if I didn't talk to you." She licked her lips. "Like I wasn't going to have a good night ever again if I didn't talk to you."

Pulling her to a stop, Callie tugged her partner into her arms to look into her eyes. "Sweetheart," she breathed. This woman would never stop surprising her with the depths of her love. "You would have had a good night…" The blonde scoffed in denial. "We would have met the next morning, remember?"

"Not meeting you would have ruined my night," Arizona insisted lightly, smirk making her expression adorable. "Besides, knowing how good I am in bed is half the reason you asked me out that morning, right?"

It was Callie's turn to scoff, rolling her eyes. "Arizona Robbins, you know exactly why I asked you out that morning and it wasn't because of how spectacularly you rocked my world the night before."

"It was because you were fleeing your first marriage and I am hot," Arizona teased, laughing loudly when that earned her a sharp swat on the ass from her wife.

"It was because you are the most incredible, amazing, beautiful, _awesome_ person I have ever met or will ever meet and I knew it about five minutes after you sat down next to me that night," Callie told her. "Do you know how long it's been since I even thought about George?" she asked with a sigh. "I can't go more than a few minutes without thinking about you and that's how I like it."

Arizona grinned, chewing on her lip. "You're a sweet talker, you know that?"

"I picked that up from my wife," Callie told her smugly, hands gripping her hips and squeezing lightly. "I love you, Arizona. Forever."

A blush colored the blonde's cheeks suddenly, Arizona dropping her face into her wife's shoulder and nuzzling into her neck. "Sweet talker," she repeated, voice quiet and soft. "Weddings make you all mushy. I like it." She pecked her neck lightly, hands roaming up and down her partner's back, across satin and skin. "Should we go to more weddings? I like all the sweet stuff you say."

Callie turned to kiss the top of her head. "How about I'll just say more sweet stuff to you when we're at home on the couch in our pajamas snuggling with our little girl?" she suggested a much more comfortable alternative, smiling when Arizona nodded without hesitation.

"That's better."

"I thought so," Callie hummed. "You know I really do love you more than anything…"

"Calliope, of course I know that," Arizona cut her off before she could finish it. "I know that better than I know anything else. And as much as I'm loving the wedding mushiness and the snuggling and the touching," she stroked the angle of her wife's shoulder blade through soft skin, "we're supposed to meet Tim and Teddy and the photographer for all the pictures."

Even as she said it, the Colonel cleared his throat behind her, Arizona just turning under Callie's arm and leaning comfortably into her as she smiled at her parents. "Fourteen hundred, pictures," he reminded them, a small smile curling his mouth despite his typical stern demeanor. His children, and Arizona in particular, were his weakness. His severity just cracked around his daughter.

"Thanks, Dad," Arizona confirmed, in no hurry to leave Callie's comfortable embrace. "Mom, you okay?" she checked sweetly, her mother rocking Sofia and wiping her face with her other hand. "Should we take her? Do you need a minute?"

Barbara just swung her granddaughter from side to side, shaking her head. "Happy tears, baby. You and your brother, I'm just so proud of you both and I love you both so much…" Callie smiled over her wife's head, fingers stroking across the top of her arm. "And Callie, of course, we love you and Teddy too. Our kids chose well," she declared, leaning into her own spouse's side.

Arizona smiled up at Callie, her wife hugging her closer. They all turned when Tim whistled sharply from down the hill. "Hey, what's the holdup?" he called, waving. "Let's get these done so we can eat!"

"Yeah, because _that's_ what he's looking forward to," Arizona muttered, smirking as they started down the grass to join the newlyweds.

Bumping her with an elbow, Callie sent her a look. "I seem to remember _you_ were pretty hungry at our wedding reception, babe."

"Um, that doesn't mean I wanted cake more than I wanted to get you out of that wedding dress," Arizona said incredulously, smirking.

They dropped the teasing, playful discussion once in hearing range of the rest of the family, Arizona reclaiming their daughter from her mother. Being a small group, the pictures didn't take long, thankfully before Sofia got hungry or fussy. And the baby didn't mind getting lots of attention at the reception, content with being passed around among her mothers' coworkers while her parents took the chance to have a meal with no interruptions.

Sofia was across the room charming the pants off a group of nurses and Arizona looked up in surprise when Callie stood up. "Where you going, babe? Sof's good."

"I know that," Callie said, smiling and reaching for her hand. "I want to dance with you."

A pleased smile graced her expression and Arizona stood up. "Oh. Okay."

"Maybe say more sweet things," Callie teased as they walked onto the dance floor and Arizona looped her arms over her shoulders.

"That could be fun," the blonde agreed, laughing. Tim and Teddy spun past them, both laughing their heads off at something. "I'm glad they're happy."

Callie turned her head to watch them, agreeing. Turning her face back toward Arizona, she was surprised but not displeased by the kiss that met her. Arizona pulled lightly on her lip before she withdrew, humming in satisfaction. "What was that for?"

"I'm happy too," said Arizona quietly, resting her head on her wife's shoulder.

"Well, I'm glad Tim and Teddy are happy, but I'm even more glad you're happy," Callie said, winking. "I'm on a roll with the sweet stuff today!"

Arizona threw her head back to laugh, whooping when Callie suddenly dipped her, kisses laying a path down her neck and dangerously close to the swooping neckline of her bridesmaid dress. Her hands clung to her wife's shoulder and she was breathless as Callie brought her back up. "You think you're so smooth, don't you?" asked Arizona teasingly. They both knew she was joking.

"I think I've got to be to keep the attention of the most gorgeous woman here, no offense to the bride, of course," Callie replied smoothly, smirk pleased and proud.

Arizona mimed applause and gave her a little bow. "I think I can say with complete confidence that you'll be the one getting me out of this dress tonight, Calliope."

Callie grinned, kissing her quickly. "I'm looking forward to that."

A clearing throat drew their attention to where the Colonel stood waiting. "May I cut in?"

Callie handed her wife over with a smile and looked around for her other favorite girl, finding Sofia being danced around with the Grey sisters and a reluctant looking Cristina Yang.

"She's so sweet, Callie!" gushed Lexie as Callie joined them, smiling at her little girl. "I don't know how you stand it!" Callie had to agree silently. She didn't know how she stood it either, having a baby with the love of her life. She didn't really understand how anyone in her situation could stand being so happy.

Cristina spoke up abruptly, typically blunt, "I want to be her godmother."

Callie laughed without meaning to, sure it was a joke. "What, really?" she asked when Cristina's expression didn't change. "Why? You hate babies."

"I do not hate babies," Cristina said flatly. "I just don't want any. It's a thing."

Callie almost rolled her eyes. "Okay. But why do you want to be her godmother then? You know what a godmother does, right?"

"Because," Cristina explained with a sigh, "if you and Roller-girl died in a plane crash, don't you want to know that she has a surgeon to raise her?" Callie just arched an eyebrow doubtfully. "An exceptional Cardio surgeon," she added as if that sweetened the offer.

"Yang, Teddy is her godmother," said Callie slowly, Lexie passing Sofia to her sister as they both laughed. "So she already has an exceptional Cardio surgeon to raise her if something happens to me and Arizona. Thank you for the offer, though?"

The other woman just scoffed, leaning over to look at the baby in her best friend's arms. "You know I'm a better surgeon than Teddy! And Teddy's her aunt! It's not fair that she has both titles! You and Robbins are playing favorites!"

"Hey!" They all turned at Teddy's exclamation, the bride glaring at her protégé. "What did you just say?"

Callie and the Grey sisters all watched raptly, quiet, and four pairs of eyes bounced between the two women, Tim wisely taking a step back behind Callie, long arms reaching over her shoulder to take Sofia from Meredith. He just shrugged when Callie shot him a look. "What?" he whispered, holding the baby in front of his face. "If this blows up, I want her for cover."

Brown eyes narrowed and she kicked his shin sharply, Tim hissing suddenly between clenched teeth. "What kind of uncle are you? Using your infant niece as a human shield from your _wife_?" She kicked him again before he could dodge. "And in your Marine uniform! Wait until the Colonel sees you!" Tim swiftly handed the baby over to her, one hand rubbing the top of Sofia's head, smiling when it got him a soft sigh and sleepy blink. "She's so tired. All the excitement…" Callie smiled at him, the expression soft. "You still doing good?"

He grinned, looking at the bickering going on between his new bride and her student. "Awesome." He slung one arm around her shoulders. "I can totally see why you did this years ago."

Callie laughed, her eyes finding her own wife across the room with her parents. "Well, when you know, why wait?"

"You know, for two relationships that more or less started with sex, we got pretty damn lucky," Tim observed.

"Language," she hissed at him, covering one of Sofia's ear protectively. "But you're right. We're lucky."

Tim bumped her with an elbow, charming grin firmly in place. "But, hey, they're lucky too! Me and you are catches!"

Rolling her eyes, Callie smirked. "Um, I was married and lied about it, and you had two barely working legs when they met us. I think we're the lucky ones," she countered, teasing lightly.

Shrugging, Tim squeezed her shoulders affectionately. "We pulled it out though, married 'em."

"We pretty much had to, right? After they stuck out that crap with us?"

It was his turn to give her a gentle knock. "_And_ we love them. At least I love mine." It was obviously a joke. Anyone who saw them together could see how much his sister and her wife loved each other.

Callie caught Arizona's gaze, blue eyes shooting her a wink across the space between them.

Watching the exchange, Tim cleared his throat. "You're still as nuts about her as when you married her, aren't you?" he asked, sounding almost curious, but not surprised.

"Yeah," answered Callie simply. "More even."

"How do you two do that? Because she's the same way about you."

Callie looked up at him, then toward where Teddy and Cristina were still bickering. "I don't know. She's just… everyday I get with her, I think I can't possibly love her more, but then she says something, or does something, or just looks at me that way she does, and it happens." Her gaze dropped to her daughter's face, Sofia's eyes falling closed and then shooting open again as she struggled against sleep, the baby whimpering into her chest. "She's not perfect, and I'm not perfect, but together - we're pretty damn close, I think."

"Language," Tim reminded her fondly, chuckling.

Sofia's cries got louder as she fought harder against sleep and it was a summons for her mother, Arizona moving through the crowds toward them. "She hates missing bedtime," Callie told him under her breath, smiling lovingly down at her daughter. "It's adorable." She'd loved Arizona before they'd become parents, loved her more than anything or anyone, but seeing Arizona become a mother had opened her up to so much more love, not only for their daughter, but for her wife. It was incredible.

Tim moved to separate the two heart surgeons after a last squeeze of her shoulder, passing his sister as she joined her wife and daughter. "She's tired." Arizona reached in to rub her baby's stomach as she drew another breath to scream.

"We've got her pajamas in the diaper bag," Callie said. "And the fountain outside is lit up. She'd like that." She couldn't help smirking when she noticed the diaper bag already in Arizona's hand. "Maybe I was wrong, what I said to Tim…" she mused, the two of them moving toward the door as Sofia got louder.

"Wrong about what?" Arizona asked, holding the door for them.

"I think you just might be perfect."

Arizona laughed, a loud bark of laughter that made even Sofia stop crying for a moment. "Me? I'm not perfect, Calliope. _You _and me, that's what's perfect."

* * *

><p>Well, I hope you guys were up for some fluff today... I swear I don't know what happened - it just came out like this...<p> 


	75. Chapter 62

Arizona was ten pages into the information packet on the Pediatric conference Richard wanted her to attend this weekend but she was distracted by indecision. It would mean a free trip to L.A. and she'd get to see Addison, but it would also mean most of three days away from Callie and Sofia, which she wasn't eager about.

"Oh my God, Arizona, come here quick!" Callie called suddenly from across the hall.

Quick as a shot she was out of the den they'd finally cleaned out and turned into an office and in the living room, almost tripping over Callie stretched out on her stomach on the floor. Sofia was laying in front of her in the same position, flat on her tummy with her upper body leaning up on her elbows. It was perfectly adorable, mother and daughter mirroring each other in the middle of the living room floor.

"What? What's wrong?" Arizona questioned, hopping over Callie to avoid kicking her in her haste. Then she heard exactly why Callie had called her. "Oh my God, did she just laugh?"

"Yes!" Callie rejoiced, Arizona immediately joining her on the floor. "Mama's silly, isn't she, big girl?" she asked, making a face to draw another giggle from the baby. Clearly she was going to take to laughing the way she'd taken to smiling.

"That's the cutest thing in the world!" declared Arizona with a happy sigh. She was completely in love with her family. "Calliope…"

"I know," Callie agreed, leaning her head sideways against her wife's shoulder. A tickle from Arizona got them another laugh and a wriggle, little footy pajamas kicking against the rug.

They were in the same spot when Alex came in, neither of the women having noticed the passage of time, entirely entranced by their daughter. "What's so great on the floor?" Alex asked, walking up and looking straight down at the tops of their heads. He was just there to pick up a file from Arizona, taking over her cases for the weekend while she was gone.

Arizona leaned back to look up at him, grinning. "Check it out!" She made a face at Sofia and was rewarded with a gleeful giggle.

"Dude, she's laughing! Cool!"

"Laugh for Uncle Alex!" Callie coaxed, pointing one hand up. Sofia tried to follow her mother's hand but only succeeded in rolling onto her back. From there she could see him though, and she promptly grinned and laughed up at him.

"And now she's rolling! Look at you, Sofia!" Arizona praised happily, one hand covering her mouth, feeling near tears. Her baby was definitely the best. Callie curled her nearer arm through Arizona's knowingly, pulling her over to press a kiss to her face.

Alex flopped down on the couch and Sofia rocked back and forth in a few practice turns before she managed to flip herself back onto her stomach to the excited shrieks of her mothers. Karev leaned over when little hands hit the top of his shoe, Sofia trying to pull herself up on his pants leg. "She wants me?" He sounded confused but picked her up and settled her onto his knee, bouncing her lightly and prompting another laugh. "Dude, I'm your daughter's inspiration!" he declared, making Arizona freeze where she was hurriedly standing up so she could get the camera.

"Excuse me?" she questioned him coolly while Callie laughed on the floor.

A sharp blue-eyed look made her try and stop laughing, even if it was less than effective. "She does like him, babe. She rolled to him!"

Arizona couldn't argue with that, and Sofia could have a much worse male role model than Karev… They'd just have to pray he'd settled down by the time their daughter was old enough to ask questions. But Sofia looked so happy bouncing on his knee, her little body leaning back into his hand with all the faith in the world. "Okay, fine, she likes you," she acknowledged, snapping a picture of the two of them. "But let's see how you do at calming her down. It's somebody's bedtime!" she said, lightly pinching the toe of her little pjs and wiggling her foot.

Callie was still stretched out on the floor and Arizona sat back down, laying back so her head was resting against Callie's side. Alex tried, but Sofia seemed content to wiggle and giggle while the young man tried to find the trick to tiring her out. Finally he surrendered, leaning forward to offer the baby with both hands. "Boss…"

Taking her, Arizona swooped and snuggled her in close, Sofia's head coming to rest next to her own against Callie. "I know you love your Uncle Alex, sweet pea, but it's time to go to bed." She yawned for emphasis and the baby echoed her. "That's right. Sleepy time," she coaxed, smirking at her protégé when Sofia blinked increasingly heavy eyes at her after only a few minutes.

Callie just smiled down at the top of her wife's blonde head. "Don't be smug, baby whisperer. Just get her in bed before she passes out on the floor." She leaned over to kiss the sweet little face. "I love you, Sofia. Sleep well, baby."

She found Arizona in their bathroom when she went upstairs, the blonde double checking her packing. She seemed reluctant though, halfhearted. Callie didn't say anything, just watched her in the mirror. Pushing her wife to speak wouldn't get results. Fortunately, after so long together it didn't take Arizona as long to open up anymore. "Our baby's incredible, you know?"

"I do," Callie agreed warmly. "But why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?"

Sighing, Arizona's shoulders slumped. "Because I'm going to be gone for three days and she laughed _and_ started rolling today. By Monday she could talk! And I wouldn't be here for it! I don't want to miss my baby girl's first word. Which will totally be 'mama', by the way."

Callie's eyes rolled and a smile graced her full lips, a quiet chuckle escaping before she could stop it. Arizona's shoulders fell further at the perception that her fears were being mocked. "Arizona Robbins, you are the best mama in the world to that little girl and she loves you more than anything!" Callie reminded her in no uncertain terms. "And it is unbelievably adorable that you don't want to miss one day but I promise you that she will not be speaking before you get back."

"It's two days, almost three," Arizona corrected her, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

"And our daughter is very gifted, but I don't think she's going to knock walking or talking off her list in one weekend. Give her some time to get used to rolling. Rolling is a big step, you know?" she said, teasing lightly. She moved off the wall slowly, slipping both hands across her wife's hips and guiding her back against herself. "If you want, I can keep her away from Alex just in case." That earned her a slap to the hand and a dimpled smile.

"You think I'm being silly, don't you?" She sounded sheepish as she asked.

Callie shook her head, turning her face in to peck at a white neck. "I think you're being a mother. And I think it's amazing." She nuzzled in, resting her chin on her wife's shoulder. "We'll talk every day. Probably once every hour if I know you," Arizona nodded silent agreement, still smiling, "And we have the thing so you can see her on the phone. And I will take a bunch of pictures. You're not going to miss anything. I promise."

Arizona smiled into the mirror at her. "Yeah?" she pushed for reassurance. She wasn't a vain person - she knew she was hot, of course, but she wasn't vain about it - but they were gorgeous together. Of course, Callie could make anyone look good simply by the natural, unconscious beauty that she resonated. It made everyone around her beautiful too.

"Of course," Callie whispered, drawing her back from her musings. "We're both going to miss you." She wasn't looking forward to an empty house and an empty bed during her wife's absence, but she was going to hate not seeing Sofia light up for Arizona the way she lit up for no one else. Their little girl adored her Mama.

"Show me?" requested Arizona softly, something Callie was never going to deny.

Wordlessly, they went to their bed, sliding under the covers and cuddling close. "Was this what you meant?" Callie's breath tickled the back of her ear and made her hair move.

"This is perfect," she answered, snuggling backwards into her arms, feeling Callie curl a leg over her own. A hand palmed her stomach, fingers drawing circles on her shirt. She couldn't help smiling when it slid underneath to reach for skin.

Warm lips kissed behind her ear and the hand under her shirt roamed upwards. "And if I want to make love to you?"

Arizona leaned backwards into her, swallowing before she spoke. "Calliope…" a soft sigh, "Yes."

It was all she needed to say, Callie moving herself so that Arizona was delivered onto her back, the Latina stretched out alongside her. Kisses scattered across her face, finding forehead and brows and eyelids and cheeks and dimples before they touched her lips, Arizona whimpering at the first light contact. "I'm going to miss you," Callie whispered, kissing her again but still with no hurry. She was going to take her time and show her wife _exactly _how much she'd be missed.

While they kissed, her hand slid up and pulled the hem of Arizona's thin t-shirt up with it. "Calliope…" the blonde gasped her name when the touch reached her breast, palming it and squeezing lightly, the way Callie knew she loved. Her lover was an expert at working her up, making her crazy. Clearly she was in for it tonight.

"This would be easier if you would take your shirt off," Callie coaxed even as she kissed down her neck, sucking on the skin between her collarbones.

"You're going to give me a hickey to take to L.A., aren't you?" asked Arizona with a laugh, her head falling back against the pillows while she let Callie do what she would with her body. She would be reaping the benefits anyway.

Callie smirked against her skin, swiping her tongue across the mark before she lifted her head to display the smirk to her. "Something to remember me by."

Moaning again as Callie went back to kissing across her chest, Arizona couldn't help jerking against her, traitorous fingers winding into dark hair. It had grown out again while Callie was pregnant so that it was longer now than ever. "I do wear your ring, Calliope," she reminded her. And she wore her heart necklace, and they had a daughter together that she could hardly shut up about. No one in Los Angeles would have any reason to doubt that she was happily spoken for.

"This is less subtle," Callie declared, lifting her head again to survey her handiwork with a pleased smile.

It won her a laugh from the woman spread beside her. "Less subtle than my _wedding ring_?"

Callie nodded. "More… in their faces," she decided. "Are you going to take your shirt off, or should I just work around it?" For emphasis, she rolled her thumb across the nearer nipple and dropped her head to mouth the other through the shirt. "Because I can…"

Arizona was sitting up in a heartbeat, ripping the tank top over her head and falling back to the mattress. She was still wearing pants and underwear, but Callie didn't seem in a rush to remove them yet. Instead, she was taking immediate advantage of the freshly bared skin, recapturing the nipple she'd just teased into a hard, hot peak. "Calliope…"

She didn't answer, too busy worshipping her to speak. The kisses continued between her breasts to give the other some attention before she trailed her lips down her lover's tight stomach, Arizona already lifting her hips in a silent plea. Callie didn't make her wait - taking her time and dawdling were two different things. And if she took too long, Sofia was sure to make her regret it. She did take the time to track kisses down each of Arizona's perfect legs, kissing on alternating sides as she followed the fabric down her limbs.

On the way back up she moved more quickly, hearing her lover's heavy, fast breathing above her, another gasping groan of her name drawing her in. One finger slid home while she attended to Arizona's clit with her mouth. A plea for more and she added another finger on her next stoke, keeping the pace deep but slow. She wanted this to be on her mind for at least the next three days. One of those perfect legs curled over her shoulder and she ran her free hand down the outside of her thigh.

Arizona was fighting to catch her breath, had given up entirely on trying to keep her eyes open. She wanted that image burned into her brain, of Callie between her legs, but it was impossible to hold her eyes open. It was hard enough to breathe. "Calliope…" She only dimly realized that she was chanting it with each new breath she managed to draw. Fingers curled inside her and the perfect amount of suction was given to her throbbing, aching clit. "Love you, please, Calliope, I love you, please," she panted, needing to come. "Please, please, _please_!"

Fingers withdrew but were replaced with her lover's tongue before she could get the breath to protest, Callie immediately curling the muscle to hit the spot that would finish her off. Arizona had to muffle a scream with a pillow, dragging it over her face with the hand that wasn't gripping and releasing Callie's hair in waves as she rode out her pleasure.

Callie slipped out as she came down, licking her lips smugly as she cleaned her up and flopped down beside her again, pulling the pillow off of her face so she could catch fresh air. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," Arizona chattered, her sweating, trembling body curling into Callie, head on her shoulder, arm around her waist, leg curled over her knees, while Callie wrapped an arm around her back. The hand at her waist picked at her shirt. "You're still wearing clothes," she observed dumbly, still hazy and twitching. It didn't seem right that Callie was still clothed when she'd just had such an incredible orgasm, but she was too far out of it to put the pieces together on what she should do about it.

Callie chuckled and it was one of the single most sexy sounds she'd ever heard. "Yeah, I guess I am," the brunette agreed, kissing the top of her head before her free hand found her wife's chin and tilted her face up for a soft kiss on the lips, both of them breathless.

Callie's laugh as they parted made Arizona's stomach clenched involuntarily, her body still caught up in its reaction. "You're going to miss me a _lot_, huh? I mean, that was… Calliope…" She cuddled in closer against her side, needing the proximity after their intimacy.

"I'm going to miss you a lot," Callie agreed, content to hold Arizona like this for the rest of the night. Soon enough she would have to leave. But L.A. wasn't Africa. And they'd talk and she'd be home in no time. But for tonight, she could hold her and she intended to.

Neither one of them remembered falling asleep, but Sofia's waking up cries woke them both. At five months old she was getting better about sleeping nearly the whole night through, waking them only an hour before the alarm would have. Callie started to sit up, but Arizona stopped her with gentle hands on her chest. "Let me," she requested, wanting to steal a moment with her daughter before she had to leave.

Sitting up against the headboard, Callie watched her scramble around their room and collect her clothes, throwing them in the hamper and pulling her favorite old USMC shirt on over her underwear, forgoing pants for the moment. She looked incredible. And adorable was the word when she came back with Sofia, the still sleepy little one blinking at her parents while they cuddled her in between themselves in the big bed.

"It would completely ruin everything if I let her sleep in here while you're gone, wouldn't it?" Callie asked, brushing wispy brown hair back from the baby's face.

Arizona smiled down at her, her own fingers tracing through Callie's hair. "Better her than anyone else," she teased lightly, smirking at the eye roll that earned her. "It would make her going back to her own room more tricky though," she conceded. "But if that's what you need, we can deal."

Sighing, Callie shook her head. "I'll try and cope without messing up our daughter's routine."

They got a few minutes of quiet snuggling before Sofia fully woke up and promptly demonstrated her newest talent, rolling over toward Callie's chest. She laughed when her mother wrapped an arm around her, pleased with her success.

Unexpectedly, Arizona flopped her head down into the pillows and grumbled audibly. "It is _so _not fair that I have to leave! I'm going to miss all the cute stuff she does!"

Callie smiled, kissing the top of Sofia's head. "Mama's going to miss you, baby girl," she whispered to her, Sofia's eyes jumping straight to Arizona.

Pressed against her other mother as she was, she had a hard time getting started but Callie gave her a gentle push and she rolled the other way so she was pressed against Arizona's side, laughing happily when she succeeded. The blonde picked her head up and smiled down at her daughter's sweet, perfect face. "I am going to miss you," she agreed. "And I'm not saying you should be grumpy for Mami, but maybe just try not to be so cute all the time, okay? Save some of it for me."

She fed the baby while Callie was in the shower, Callie keeping her while Arizona took her own shower and got her bag together. It was weird to be driving her to the airport again and Callie lingered at Arizona's gate with Sofia on her hip. "Call me when you get there?" she requested as the blonde shifted her bag's strap on her shoulder

"Of course." Arizona took a swift kiss.

"Tell Addison we said hey. And at least try and go out and have a good time," Callie said, handing their daughter over to her so Arizona could scatter kisses across her cheeks.

"I love you, Sofia," she whispered. "Mama loves you. And I'm going to miss you so much." She leaned in for another kiss, breathing in the baby smell that she loved. Callie slid up beside her, curling an arm behind the baby's back and kissing the side of her head. "I love you too," she added softly, able to feel Callie's lips curl in a smile against her face as she echoed the statement.

Arizona's flight was boarding and there was no more time, the blonde having to get through security if she was going to make her plane. One more kiss to each of them and she turned to go. Sofia watched quietly, though the further away Arizona got, her lip started to tremble. Whimpering drew Callie's attention and she rocked her, trying to comfort the baby. "It's okay, sweetheart. Mama's going to be back before you know it, I promise." The words didn't succeed in reassuring her and Sofia gathered a shaky breath to scream in protest as she realized that her mama wasn't coming back immediately.

* * *

><p>In case the story gets removed during this latest purge, it's up on my LJ (link's on my profile) and it always will be - so on the chance that it gets yanked before the end (or at any point after the end) it'll be safe over on LJ...<p> 


	76. Chapter 63

Addison Montgomery had lost count of the number of people, both men and women, who had walked away from Arizona Robbins tonight. When they'd lived together in med school her roommate was flirty and fun. Now she couldn't stop talking about her baby daughter. It was insanely adorable and something she'd never expected in a million years from her friend.

"There goes another one," the redhead mused to herself, wondering if she should start marking off numbers on her napkin.

"Another one what?" Arizona asked, completely oblivious. After hearing her baby screaming for her in the airport had nearly shattered her heart into a thousand pieces Callie had been sending pictures and videos of Sofia to her phone all day to show her that the infant had recovered and she was sharing each and every one of them with her friend, chattering nonstop about how awesome her daughter was.

Addison smirked, sipping slowly on her drink. "Another person that hit on you and you didn't even give them the time of day."

Laughing, Arizona shook her head, still messing with her phone. "No one's hitting on me, Addie," she denied. She honestly couldn't see it. "Besides," she lifted her left hand and wiggled her ring finger, "I'm married. Happily. Happily married!" she declared with a smile. "And it's Sofia's bedtime and Calliope said she'd call and let me see her!"

"Then she'll call," Addison assured her. "Don't worry."

But she did worry. Because her wife had faced a gunman and climbed into a sinkhole. Each time when she wasn't around. Of course, Callie would never do anything that might put Sofia in danger (she wasn't counting the sinkhole against her). And she knew that she was one of _those_ moms now, the ones who'd come into her ward and made her hesitant about having kids of her own. But she liked to think that she was doing alright. She was protective, yes, of her wife _and_ their daughter, but she wasn't an insane freak about it. But she missed her baby and it was bedtime. She wanted to see her. That was why they had schedules. So Mama wouldn't freak out while she was in California.

Even as she thought it, her screen lit up and she stabbed the correct button, melting into her booth bench when she saw Sofia's sweet, sleepy face. "Hey, my angel!" Sofia blinked at the sound of her voice, looking for her, but was too tired to try for long, just whimpering. "Look at you! You're the cutest little thing ever! Calliope, look how cute she is! And she's got the pink elephants on! The pink elephant pajamas are her favorites."

"I see her, honey," Callie answered from off the screen, amused. She had a theory that the pink elephants were actually Arizona's favorites, but she wasn't going to mention it. She found it secretly adorable. One hand stroked Sofia's hair and she settled down, Arizona's voice, even without her presence, was working its magic on their sleepy little one.

Addison was quickly out of her own half of the booth and sliding in beside Arizona. "Let me see!" she requested, turning the phone toward herself. "Hey Callie!"

"Hey Addie," echoed the other woman. "Where are you guys?"

"I dragged her out to a bar hoping she was still a good wingman even now that she's married, but she's scaring everyone off with all the baby talk," Addison pretended to complain, smirking at her friend. "It's kind of insanely adorable!"

Callie laughed. "Oh, I know!"

"Hey!" protested Arizona. She couldn't deny it though. It wasn't her fault that her kid was the most sweet, perfect baby in the entire world. "I can hear you! And if you keep laughing at me you'll wake up baby girl." She got to watch her doze off, the screen going dark as Callie switched the lights off and she turned her phone's camera on herself. "Hey you," Arizona said, smiling at her. "And how's the hottest mom in the world tonight?"

Addison rolled her eyes for her friend's benefit and cleared her throat. "I'm going to get more drinks before you start talking about MILFs or something."

"Addie!" Arizona pointed her out of the booth with a smirk. "She's not wrong though," she admitted to Callie when her friend was gone. "What are you wearing?"

Laughing, Callie shook her head and smirked. "You two have fun tonight, okay? You can take a night off from being 'Mama.' Enjoy it."

"Aww, come on! Don't change the subject! Just point the camera down a little, give me a little peek!" requested the blonde with a cheeky grin. Callie obliged but the image moved much too fast for her to make out any details. "Tease!" she declared.

"I'll be looking forward to your drunk voicemail later," Callie said, blowing her a kiss through the phone. "Have a good time," she requested.

"What are you going to do tonight?" asked Arizona curiously. She hated the idea that Callie would be sitting at home doing nothing while she was out having fun with her friend.

The Latina shrugged. "I've got a book I haven't been able to finish. Hopefully Sof will stay asleep and let me get some reading done." Sighing, Arizona sent her a look. "Don't do that," Callie requested, smiling at her. "I love to read and you know it."

"I do, but do you ever think we're turning into a boring old married couple?"

An eyebrow cocked at her. Activity in the bedroom was on track and entirely _not_ boring. It was true that they didn't get out like they used to, though. "If you're bored, babe…" she started, teasing.

A blue glare answered her. "I'm not even responding to that, Calliope."

"I was just going to say that I could get another haircut," said Callie, over-exaggerating her innocence. Arizona had been wild for her shorter haircut after it had been cut during their crazy bachelorette night planned by Callie's sister Aria. "Or, if you want to get out more, we do have several family and close friend babysitters in town that we can call."

"How about we discuss both?" Arizona bargained, grinning at her. She was anything but bored with her life, but she supposed a few more nights out couldn't hurt. Especially not when she had Calliope Torres on her arm. She was a damn lucky woman, to have her life. "Maybe I can take you out once I get home? Just you and me? We'll leave the munchkin with Tim and Teddy… Mom wants more grandkids, so they need the parenting practice because we are not having another one yet."

Callie smiled sweetly (she adored anytime her wife talked about kids, present or future - though she did wholeheartedly agree that they weren't ready for another one yet) and Arizona wanted nothing more in that second than to kiss her. Too bad she was in another state and wasn't due home for another day and a half. "We'll figure it out," she promised. "But that would be nice. I'd really like that. We can talk about it when you get home." She winked. "Until then though, you should have fun with Addie."

"Fine," Arizona said, over-dramatizing her sigh. "I guess if I _have _to go have fun… Enjoy your book, I guess?"

"I will," promised Callie with a wink. "I'll talk to you later, baby. I love you."

"Love you too," echoed the blonde, hanging up the phone.

Addison chose that moment to return, handing a fresh drink across the table to her. "How's the wife?" she asked cheerfully, sipping her refreshed wine.

"She's fine," Arizona answered, mimicking her friend's tone. "Now, I think I heard you say I'm a bad wingman now that I'm married and that's just not true. I can still get you whoever you want," she declared confidently. "Point someone out…"

The redhead rolled her eyes, grinning. "No need for that. How about we just actually leave the table? I'm not saying you need to go home with anyone," Arizona shot her a sharp blue glare, "But maybe we could dance with some of these nice people that keep asking us to dance?"

"Fine, if that's what you want," Arizona agreed, scoffing lightly. She was starting to remember what living with Addison had been like, how chaotic her life had been then. She definitely didn't hate the change to stable, happy family with Callie. But Addison was fun and she worked hard, they both did. A night out wouldn't hurt anything.

Once they weren't noticeably distracted with phones, it took about three minutes before a pair of men were at the end of their table and asking them to dance. Arizona accepted with a smirking glance sideways at her friend and they slid out of their booth to follow the men to the dance floor. She was looking forward to a night out, but was still grateful for the fast song that meant she wouldn't have to dance close. Fun or no, there was only one person she wanted to dance with that way.

Hands over her head drew his fingers up to twine through hers and he bumped her wedding ring. His eyes jumped up to confirm it and he looked surprised. "You're married?"

Arizona kept moving to the music, letting him spin her. "Yes. Is that a problem for you?" Realizing how it sounded, she clarified quickly, "I mean, I'm happily married and am absolutely not going home with you," she nodded toward Addison dancing a few feet away, "She wanted to go out tonight."

He grinned, shrugging. "No worries. I can respect that," he said, tone friendly. "If I can say though, your husband's an idiot to let you and your girlfriend there come out alone."

Laughing, they both clapped along to the beat of the song, everyone in the bar doing it too. "Actually, it would be my _wife_ who's an idiot, but she's not. I'm in L.A. on business or she'd be here with me and you'd be dancing with someone else."

"That would have been a shame."

Dancing through another song, they idly chitchatted, Arizona excusing herself from the floor when Addison did the same, following her friend back to their table. "Did you have fun with your new boyfriend?" the redhead asked, waving over their waiter for another round of drinks.

Blue eyes rolled and Arizona smirked. "We small-talked the whole time. He's an investment banker and he thinks you're hot. He gave me his number for you if you want it." She arched a challenging eyebrow at her friend as she slapped the business card to the table. "Bad wingman, my ass! I'm an awesome wingman! How about you? How was your guy?"

Addison sighed, but took the paper. "Wannabe actor, pass." Surveying the bar while she sipped on her wine, she suggested, "Want to call it a night?"

They finished their drinks and caught a taxi back to Addison's apartment. The redhead was tipsy and seemed content to flop into a ball in the middle of her ridiculously overstuffed leather chair, tugging a blanket over herself which Arizona kindly straightened out for her before checking the locks and going upstairs to her guest room.

The last time she'd been here Callie had been with her and it made her suddenly homesick. It was past midnight, but Callie had teased her about a drunken voicemail. She wasn't actually drunk but the least she could do would be actually leave one. Her wife had asked for one, after all.

"Hello?" Callie answering the phone hadn't been one of the things she'd anticipated when she'd hit her wife's speed dial. And she certainly hadn't expected her to sound like _that_ when she answered.

Because _that_ sounded a lot like a breathy tone of voice that Callie should only reach when she was there to get her to it.

Apparently she was taking too long to answer because Callie spoke up again, "Arizona, babe, are you there?"

Coughing to clear her throat, the blonde had to sit down on the edge of her borrowed bed, silently cursing the distance between Los Angeles and Seattle and the full day of lectures she would be expected to attend tomorrow. She was damn well moving her flight home up though. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked hoarsely, feeling her own insides tremble as Callie's heavy breathing came through the phone. "I can call back - I'll just talk to you tomorrow," she stammered, feeling nervously suddenly.

"No!" Callie yelped, followed quickly by a strangled, "Oh God, _yes_, Arizona!"

Her hard, fast breathing was the only thing Arizona could hear as her own heart rate picked up to pace it, her throat suddenly dry as a bone. Giving her a few minutes to apparently come down, Arizona had to clear her throat before she could speak. "Um, Calliope, just curious, but how often do you answer the phone when you're about to come?" Because she was no idiot - she knew exactly what her wife's orgasms sounded like.

She laughed on the other side of the phone and Arizona had to close her eyes. Callie had the sexiest laugh she'd ever heard. Breathlessly, the brunette answered her, "You're the only person that would be calling this late. I heard your ringtone and I needed a little help over the top."

Arizona wasn't near a mirror, but she could _feel_ the flush that covered her from head to toe. This woman was going to be the sexy, sexy death of her. "I guess I should have talked more then, huh?" she said dumbly, kicking herself for it as soon as it left her lips.

It did earn her another one of those husky laughs though and she smiled. "Talk to me now," Callie requested, the sheets rustling on her end as she settled into the bed and made herself more comfortable. Arizona knew from her voice that she wouldn't be awake much longer.

"You missed me that much that you couldn't go one night?" was the first thing she could think of to ask and Callie's chuckles kept up.

"Yes I did," Callie answered her simply. "But who said I was thinking about you?" she teased, and Arizona could hear the smirk in her voice.

"You did," the blonde replied smugly. "If you needed someone else to get you over the top, you answered the wrong phone call, baby! Also, you said my name when you… you know."

Callie laughed warmly and Arizona kicked off her shoes and slid up the bed to lie down herself. "Okay, you busted me - I was getting myself off and thinking about my wife," acknowledged the Latina. "How does that fit into your theory that we're an old, boring married couple?"

"I think it's all kinds of sexy," Arizona admitted with a deep breath, laughing herself. "And maybe my theory needs work. How was that book you were _supposedly _reading?"

"It was really good!" Callie yawned. "But then I finished it and Sof's sleeping and I was bored and thinking about you…" She paused when Arizona moaned throatily in her ear.

"You're trying to torture me, aren't you?"

Another warm laugh. "Well, why don't you torture me back? You were the one out at some big L.A. nightclub without me."

"I thought about you the whole time those guys were feeling me up," Arizona said, smirking to herself.

A warning growl was her reward that time. "Arizona…"

"You said to torture you!"

"Success. Change the subject now, please," she ordered firmly, clearly not a request. Callie's voice went back to sleepy and soft. "Did you show Addie all the pictures of Sofia? Is she in love with her?"

"Of course she is! Everyone's in love with her, Calliope! She's perfect!" Burrowing into her pillow, Arizona let out a deep breath. "Does she miss me? She knows I'm gone, right?"

Callie knew it probably wasn't the reaction her wife was looking for, but she couldn't help scoffing. "Of course she does, Arizona. She looked for you when I picked her up from daycare and when we were making dinner she just kept looking around the kitchen and making these pitiful little whimpering noises. She's been breaking my heart missing you all day."

Arizona sighed again. "Is it wrong that that makes me feel better? I just don't want her to forget about me."

"You're her Mama, Arizona. She's not going to forget about you," Callie promised her, touched as always by her partner's devotion to their daughter. "She might have two mothers, but you're the only 'Mama' she's ever going to have." She yawned again. "Did dancing with random strangers wear you out? Because I'm sleepy."

Arizona smiled to herself. Callie could sleep through anything. But going to sleep would only get her home that much faster. "I could sleep. Go to sleep, babe. I'll call you in the morning."

"M'kay," Callie hummed. "Love you."

"I love you too," echoed Arizona, pleased. "Kiss Sofia for me in the morning." She wasn't sure she was heard, Callie's soft breathing audible in her ear. She didn't worry that it wouldn't happen, though. She hung the phone up with a smile.


	77. Chapter 64

Callie was tying her shoes in the locker room when Mark Sloan stuck his head around the end of the row of lockers. "Torres, I need you," he announced plainly and she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Consult?" He was changing from scrubs to his street clothes so it seemed unlikely that he was coming in to work.

"No, I want to borrow your kid," Mark said, laughing. "Chicks _love_ babies, Torres," he explained when she just stared at him. It was Arizona's second day in L.A. and she'd been paged in too early this morning. His request was just confusing her.

"You want to borrow my _daughter_?"

He nodded, upswept graying blonde hair disheveled when he tugged a tight sweater over his bare chest. "To pick up women. We'll just be across the street," he said as if that sweetened the deal.

Her eyebrow rose slowly. "Across the street at the bar? You want to take my baby to a bar?" Shaking her head, she sighed and resumed tying her shoe. "Mark, no," she declared. "You cannot take my baby to pick up women at the bar."

The man sent her an eye roll. "You're spoiling my fun, Torres."

"You're supposedly so good at picking up women, I'm helping you practice your skills by refusing to give you a secret weapon," she said. "Now go, practice your art. And stay the hell away from the nursery. No one else will loan you a baby either, so don't try it."

Mark left the locker room and Callie rolled her eyes. He was ridiculous sometimes. And Arizona would probably want to hit him when she found out. Which could be fun too. She held off on pulling her phone out and texting her though. They'd been chatting like teenage girls all day already. She could wait the twenty-four hours she had left until she was picking her wife up from the airport.

Cases kept her busy all day until she was completely wiped out. Arizona wasn't going to be happy about it, she knew that from Africa when she'd worked as many hours without a break as she could stand so that sleeping alone was easier. But this wasn't deliberate. She was just the best. And her patients needed the best.

Barely holding her eyes open, she went to collect Sofia from daycare, able to sleep at the hospital herself but not wanting to do that to her daughter. The hallway outside the nursery was almost empty, but the dark-haired older woman left as soon as she entered and moved down the hall away from her. Sofia's wide brown eyes looked happy enough to see her, she got a smile, but after only a few seconds Sofia was looking around for Arizona. "I know, you miss Mama. Tomorrow, sweetheart. She'll be home tomorrow, I promise."

She got them packed up into the car, Sofia cooing and talking nonsensical baby noises to herself in her car seat and rattling a noisemaker. Lights were already on inside the house when she pulled up, a taxi turning the corner up the block while the driveway was empty of all but Arizona's Jeep, just as she'd left it. Suspicious, she found her phone before she got either one of them out of the car.

Arizona answered on the first ring, sounding chipper and giving her suspicions confirmation. "You wouldn't happen to have just gone inside our house, would you?"

"That seems possible, Calliope."

"How? Why? You weren't supposed to come back until tomorrow!" Callie stammered, happy but overwhelmed.

"I couldn't wait any longer. I finished my last seminar and skipped out on the dinner party part. I didn't even have Addie as a date. She got called in to work. It would have been lame," Arizona said, walking back outside where Callie could see her silhouette from the car.

"Get your skinny ass over here right now," ordered Callie, hanging up her phone and getting out of the car. Arizona met her at the passenger side, both hands diving into her hair as soon as she was in reach.

"My ass is not skinny, Calliope," the blonde stated, the words breathed against her lips. Callie smirked and kissed her. "I missed you," she whispered into a gap for breath, Callie taking her lips again. The kiss broke a few seconds later with an audible pop. "Where's my baby girl?" she asked eagerly, clapping her hands in her excitement.

"Mark wanted to take her to the bar and try and pick up chicks with her," Callie said stupidly, enjoying the way Arizona's blue eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "Of course I told him _no_. She's in her car seat, Arizona," she said, nodding her head toward the door of the car behind them. She graciously moved out of her way to let the blonde open the door, watching and listening to Sofia's noises get louder when her Mama appeared.

Arizona was squeezing her tightly as she leaned them back out of the car, Callie collecting the diaper bag from the floorboard and shutting the car behind them. Arizona took her free hand and they went back toward the house, Sofia chattering away happily to them, content again (and louder) now that Mama was holding her. "That's so cool, baby," Arizona agreed with her as though she was actually speaking.

Unable to stop herself from smiling, Callie found she was equally unable to tear her eyes off of them. "Told you she missed you," she said smugly. Arizona was chattering back to Sofia but still sent her a smirking look. "I missed you too, you know."

"And I will definitely be expressing how much I missed you, but it's almost this one's bedtime." Something occurred to her and she glanced between the two. "She didn't sleep with you last night, did she? Because you were a little… distracted." Her smirk was devilish.

Brown eyes rolled. "No, she was in her room."

Arizona was triumphant as Sofia yawned in her arms, the excitement of getting her beloved Mama back wearing her out. "Well, I can't say I'm disappointed you didn't bring another girl into our bed." Callie pinched her sharply on the ass in rebuke and made her jump. "Addison didn't even make it to her bed! She fell asleep in the giant leather armchair!"

Sofia managed a few more minutes of 'conversation' with Arizona, the blonde eating up the attention and giving it straight back to her. She could see the weariness in her partner's face as they put Sofia to bed, standing at the side of her crib. "Don't look at me like that," Callie said before she could even speak.

"I'm not," Arizona denied mildly. "Let's get in bed ourselves." It was a little past Sofia's bedtime, but it was still an early night for them. "You look tired and I slept like crap last night after I listened to you _entertaining_ yourself on the phone and then had to go to bed by myself!"

Callie volunteered eagerly to be the big spoon, both of them changing into pajamas and meeting in the middle of the bed. Arizona went willingly into her arms, feeling the steady breaths against her back. "How'd you get to come home early?" Callie asked, mumbling and checking the baby monitor's volume one last time before she contently snuggled an arm across her wife's waist, hand covering her stomach possessively. "Your flight wasn't until tomorrow."

"I told you - I couldn't wait anymore," Arizona whispered, smiling when lips kissed behind her ear. "I'm addicted to our baby," she confessed. "I don't want to miss any days of her life, even the boring ones, unless I absolutely have to and I didn't have to be at this dinner thing, so I bailed."

Humming contentedly, Callie cuddled in closer as Arizona laced her fingers through hers. "I'm okay with that. Because she missed you. I've had a very grumpy baby on my hands the last two days. And she's much cuter when she's smiling. She looks like you, so when you're both sad it breaks my heart."

"Well, I'm home now, so smiley, happy dimples are back on the forecast," Arizona promised, feeling Callie nuzzling contentedly into the back of her neck.

They woke up tangled together, Callie's arms snug around her, leg wound through Arizona's. Cooing from the baby monitor drew the blonde's attention and she smiled at the image of her daughter rocking from side to side on her back with a smile on her lips while she waited for one of her parents to come get her out. "Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma," she chattered happily in between other random sounds.

Arizona knew it was nonsense, just normal baby noises, but her heart swelled. She had a feeling that she would lose her mind whenever Sofia said her first word, when she called _her_ 'Mama.' "Calliope, can you hear her?" she whispered, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping, but wanting her to hear this. Because it was _awesome_.

Lips pressed behind her ear and her partner let out a shaky breath. "She loves her Mama," she said softly, her voice hoarse and emotional. She loved her family more than anything in the world. Arizona reached out and grabbed the baby monitor before turning in her arms and snuggling in again, holding the monitor where they could both see it. "Oh my God, she's amazing," Callie sighed, Arizona's head next to hers on the pillow. She laced the fingers of their free hands, needing a connection with her other half.

Soon enough the baby was whimpering and Arizona reluctantly slid out of their embrace to get her up. They did their normal morning routine, alternating in the shower with the other one getting the baby fed and ready to go, a standard that Callie appreciated all the more now that she'd done a pair of back to back solo mornings. Occasionally there were mornings where one of them was coming or going before Sofia was awake, but they were thankfully few and far between.

A page just as they entered meant that Callie had to leave them before they reached the nursery, dropping Sofia off together part of their routine. She had to settle for laying a kiss on each of her girls before dashing to the locker room to change while Arizona delivered baby and diaper bag to the hospital's daycare.

Carrying her through the doors and signing in with the nurse in charge, Arizona was surprised when she glanced through the windows that displayed the hallway. If she wasn't mistaken, Lucia Torres had just turned the corner. They talked to Carlos at least once a week and he hadn't mentioned they were coming to Seattle. And even if they were coming, she had a hard time believing that her mother-in-law would be here where her unacknowledged grandchild was.

Getting Sofia settled with a tower of blocks, she sat down and helped with it for a few minutes, building it up before the baby swatted a hand and knocked it over, giggling gleefully and proud of herself. They were definitely in for a handful soon enough, Arizona reflected with a smile. She couldn't wait.

She was hesitant to go, not sure how Sofia would like her leaving again so soon, but the delay did enable her to catch another glimpse of Mrs. Torres outside in the hall. She caught her eye this time, but the older woman didn't linger, marching briskly away as soon as their gazes met. Weird.

Digging her phone out of her pocket, Arizona scrolled down until she hit Carlos' number, holding the phone between her chin and shoulder while it rang. She'd rebuilt half of the tower and Sofia was determinately whacking one of the blocks against the ground in front of her where she was sitting between her mother's knees when he answered the phone. "Carlos, hi, it's Arizona," she greeted him.

"Hello, my dear! How's my darling Sofia?" he replied, sounding genuinely pleased to hear from her.

"She's great," Arizona answered, laughing as Sofia managed to hit one block with another and watching as her eyes went wide from the noise it made. She loved anything that made new noises. "She's sitting right here with me playing with blocks."

"Perfect," sighed her father-in-law, completely in love with his granddaughter. "She's so much like Calliope was at that age. Precocious and into everything."

"Well, she's not quite roaming yet, but she's mastering rolling over and laughing and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen," Arizona told him. Though, admittedly, her bar on 'cutest thing ever' changed pretty much on a daily basis with her daughter. She was just so damn adorable!

"Perfect!" he declared again. "You'll have to send me a video of her laughing. I'd very much like to see that."

"Yes sir," she promised. "I'll send one when we get home."

"Wonderful. Thank you, Arizona. Was there something you needed from me?" He cleared his throat quickly. "Not that you're not welcome to call anytime, but it must be pretty early in the morning there…"

"I was actually calling about Mrs. Torres," Arizona interjected gently.

He took a long pause. "What about her, exactly?"

"Well, do you happen to know that she's in Seattle?" she asked, not sure what to make of any of this. "I've seen her twice already this morning hanging around outside Sofia's nursery, but she leaves every time I notice her out there."

His next breath was shorter and sharp. "She's there? Arizona, I didn't know. She said that… She told me she was going to New York for a few days. She's in Seattle? Looking in on Sofia?"

Sofia was still contentedly trying to recreate her new noise, caring nothing for her grandmother's strange behavior. "Has she had some kind of change of heart? Because I'll tell her the same thing I told you - she can't be a grandmother to Sofia if she's not a mother to Callie. It's not fair and I won't let her get hurt like that."

"I understand," Carlos promised, remembering their second meeting where she'd said the exact same thing to him. It warmed his heart to know someone was so protective of his daughter's heart.

Arizona took a deep breath. "Should we try and talk to her, or maybe if you're free you could come? You'd get to see Sof's laughing in person and I know Calliope would love to see you." She cleared her throat lightly. "I don't know if she's been here more than just today, but the nursery is not a good place to linger around. And here at the hospital, access is restricted to doctors and parents…" And a specific list of guests but it went without saying that Lucia Torres' name was not on it.

Carlos shuffled some papers and sighed. "I will call her today but I don't think I can leave for Seattle until tomorrow morning."

"Not a problem," Arizona assured him. "I'll talk to the nursery staff and make sure they don't call the police or anything in the meantime, but I appreciate your help on this." She wasn't entirely sure what to make of Callie's mother, but she knew precisely where her own loyalties were. Callie and Sofia came first. "Thank you, Carlos."

"Of course. Thank you for letting me know what is happening."

They hung up and Arizona slid her phone back in her pocket. She couldn't dawdle anymore, she had to get to work, but Sofia was just so cute. Reluctantly, she picked her up for one last snuggle, the little girl giggling when Arizona nuzzled into her neck and blew a raspberry, and put her back down on her tummy on the mat so she could keep playing with her blocks. A nurse nodded as she stood up, keeping an eye on Sofia in the crowd of other children.

She explained the situation with Callie's mother to the nurse on duty, told her she might be lingering around but not to call the police. She also reiterated that while the older woman was not a threat to Sofia or any of the other children, she was still not authorized to take Sofia anywhere. Besides herself and Callie, only Tim, Teddy, and Alex had privileges to pick up the infant from the daycare center.

Catching Callie at lunch, Arizona related her strange sighting and the talk with Carlos, watching her partner's face for any reaction. Mostly she just saw shock. "She's been coming here to watch Sofia? That's weird, right?"

"Yes, a bit," Arizona conceded dryly, amused. "I already talked to the nursery staff and asked them not to call the cops if she was loitering out there all day. And your dad said he would call her. What do you want to do?" she asked, spearing a bite of her lasagna with a bit more force than necessary. This whole situation was very confusing and she was protective. But she wasn't sure how to be in this situation. How much was too much? And what did Callie want? She glanced down when Callie's hand touched her thigh, eyes jumping back up to meet her eyes. "I'll do anything you want, Calliope."

Callie just studied her face for a long moment without speaking, finally leaning over to kiss her cheek softly, hand moving up to cover her other cheek. "I know you're trying to protect us," she murmured, nuzzling her nose against Arizona's. "That's all I could ask for. I don't know why my mom is here, but I have no doubt that you're looking out for me and for Sof," Arizona nodded, swallowing hard, "So we're just going to wait and see, and you're going to calm down and be the perfect, loving, sweet Mama that we need. Okay?"

Swallowing again, Arizona's eyes slid closed and she took a deep steadying breath. "I can do that," she promised, smiling as she opened her eyes again.

"We'll just see what Daddy says," Callie assured her. "But I meant what I said, Arizona. If she gets back into our family is entirely dependent on if she has your approval. I don't want her passive aggressive stuff around Sofia." She locked eyes on blue depths that she adored. "And there's a zero tolerance policy on her saying _anything_ about you, our marriage, or Sofia not having two parents. We'll just get up and walk out."

Arizona nodded. She was okay with that plan. She wasn't really the type to just sit there and let her place in her own family get belittled anyway. And that reminded her… "Hey, actually, do you want to get married…?"

Callie choked on her drink in surprise.

Being paged away from lunch and their conversation was absolutely the last thing Callie had wanted from her day, but that was exactly what she'd gotten. And in the middle of dealing with her mother's strange renewed interest in at least their baby. Her mother would just _love_ to share her opinion on Arizona's startling question.

And she was a bit startled herself. She'd never questioned that they were married. It hurt to think that Arizona might… But they had had no time at all to talk about it before she'd had to leave. Damn emergent cases. Her phone beeped in her pocket and she knew without looking that it was Arizona.

_Don't even think it, Calliope. You're my wife. Call me when you can. - A_

It did make a bit of the knot in her stomach go away, but it was still a strange question for Arizona to ask. Until she noticed the news ticker on the television as she passed through the lobby after giving her patient's family the good news after surgery - 'Washington State Marriage Equality Law In Effect.'

The rest of the knot melted into gooey warmth. She would marry Arizona as many times as they had to. And she knew that nothing could make Arizona more committed to her, but this couldn't hurt. She was painfully aware of how her partner would be treated if they ever had to go to a hospital somewhere that wasn't Seattle Grace. No one here would deny Arizona's place as Sofia's mother, even if she wasn't the Head of Pediatric Surgery, or Arizona's rights as her wife, but any other hospital could be a different story.

Leaving her patient's family, she found her phone in the pocket of her lab coat and hit the speed dial for Arizona while her feet carried her toward the daycare. After the weirdness with her mother this morning, she wanted to look in on Sofia herself. She could hear the phone ringing down the hall echoing the ringing on her phone against her ear and she smiled as she hung it up, already knowing who she'd find when she turned the corner.

"There's my wife," Arizona greeted her with a smile, looking up from her phone. "Calliope, I…"

"I saw the news, babe, I get it," interjected Callie. "That is what you meant, right? Make it legal? Because I hate to break this to you, but we are absolutely already married, Arizona Robbins!"

The blonde bit her lip, smiling and standing on her toes to kiss her cheek. "I know that! And I would have explained myself but _you _got called in on a surgery. How did it go, by the way?" she asked, both of them flashing their IDs to the nurse inside the doors of the daycare. Apparently Callie hadn't been the only one who'd had a desire to see their baby girl.

"It went well. He's going to keep his legs."

Sofia was just finishing her afternoon snack as they came in but she spit out her spoon of sweet potatoes when her parents appeared, grinning and drooling orange goo down her chin. Arizona stepped forward with a smile and picked her up, wiping the food from her face with a handy towel. "What a pretty smile you have under all this mess, my sweet angel!"

The nurse smiled to Callie and showed her the nearly empty jar of food and left the family, Callie leaning against the wall and watching them. "So, you want to marry me, huh?" she commented, getting an eye roll in answer.

"We're already married. I just think we should put it on the books," Arizona replied. "I'd like some more rights to take care of my own wife." She shot her a pointed look. "Especially with your history of standing in front of gunmen and climbing into sinkholes." Her lips dropped a kiss on top of their little girl's head. "It's completely crazy to me that I've had the right to take care of this one her whole life, she's legally mine, but you're not, not entirely, anyway."

"Arizona, in every way that matters, I am yours," Callie promised. "She's yours." She smiled when Arizona looked up from the baby to meet her gaze. "And you better believe that you're ours," she said smugly, pleased and proud of that fact. "But, yeah, let's do it, let's get it on paper. Any kind of paper we can get, let's get them." They had their partnership papers, had since the wedding, but a marriage license couldn't hurt. Matching dimples popped on both faces and it made her heart swell.

Arizona flew Sofia through the air toward her, making airplane noises through puckered lips and making them both laugh. "Is it okay if we just do it at the courthouse or whatever?" she asked, hiding her face behind Sofia's head. "We've already had a wedding and that's the anniversary I want to remember."

Kissing Sofia and then ducking around her to get to Arizona's cheek, Callie nodded. "Of course. This is a technicality." Hiking Sofia onto her shoulder, she quickly spun them, the little girl shrieking happily. "But if I hear the word 'pre-nup' at all, even as a joke," Arizona's hand was over her lips immediately, blue eyes narrowed warningly, "I'll hurt you," she finished as the fingers slipped off.

"Oh, you're so lucky you're holding the baby right now, Calliope Torres," Arizona growled, stepping in closer and pinching her ass firmly in rebuke. "We're not ever going to need that, so it's not even worth joking about. And now we're changing the subject," she ordered sternly.

"Absolutely," agreed Callie. "So we'll just keep it low key? Go to the courthouse, or mail it in or something?"

Nodding, Arizona slid her palm flat against her wife's butt for a squeeze, using the grip as leverage to haul her in for a kiss to seal the deal. "Sounds perfect. Very romantic."

A smirk curled full lips. "We're a boring old married couple already, remember?" Arizona's dimples popped and she chewed on her bottom lip. "And yet you're groping me in the baby room of the nursery at work… Didn't we used to have rules about all of those things?"

"Whatever, Calliope. I don't think Sofia's going to tell on us," Arizona pointed out, tickling her free hand across the baby's back.

Callie leaned back to catch a glimpse of their daughter's face, heart thumping faster in her chest as she drank in Arizona's features that had been passed down. It never failed to have that reaction. Sofia was grinning widely at her parents, hands gripping tight to Callie's scrubs. "What do you think, Sof? You going to tattle on your mommies?"

She just giggled when Arizona tickled her foot through her little sock. "I think that's a no," the blonde declared, winking. "And I don't know what your schedule is like, but I have to get back to work now," she said reluctantly, checking her phone. "Will you call me if you hear from your dad?"

"Of course," Callie murmured, accepting a kiss on the cheek. "I should probably get out of here too, but she's not going to like you going, so I'll stay for a few minutes and calm her down."

Nodding, Arizona gave the baby another kiss before she backed away, waving at her. "Mama loves you, Sofia. I'll be back to take you home soon," she promised. She was almost unsurprised to see her mother-in-law fleeing the hall. Without hearing what she wanted from Carlos, she wasn't going to approach her. If the other woman wanted to make first contact, that was up to her.


	78. Chapter 65

Callie was in the kitchen working on dinner when the doorbell rang so Arizona went to answer it, leaving Sofia rolling all over the floor and Alex sitting in front of the couch watching football. (His cable had been turned off and Callie's cooking was better than cold pizza.) Flipping on the porch light revealed Carlos and she opened the door for him.

They weren't the hugging types, at least not with each other, so they just exchanged familiar nods of greeting. "Carlos, it's good to see you," Arizona said. "Calliope's in the kitchen and Sofia's right in here," she gestured toward the living room, "Do you remember Alex Karev? He works at the hospital with us."

"She's my boss," the younger man clarified as he stood up, Sofia hanging off of one of his hands. His other hand was protectively under her in case she slipped. "And I used to live upstairs." He cleared his throat when Mr. Torres sent him a narrow look. "I think we might have met once, maybe…" Alex finished awkwardly. "Sir," he added, clearing his throat and shooting a look at Arizona when she stifled a snort of laughter.

She scooped up the baby and turned her so she could see her grandfather. "Look who's here to see you, Sofia," she said, the little girl leaning back against her chest and sitting on her arm. "It's your abuelo, sweet girl." Her brown eyes considered him tentatively but she smiled when he did and Arizona passed her over carefully. "I'll just go let Callie know you're here."

Beyond the swinging door to the kitchen it was no surprise that Callie hadn't heard the doorbell, the music she loved to sing and dance along to while she cooked playing from the radio on the counter. She jumped when Arizona sidled up behind her. "Arizona! You scared me!"

Amused, the blonde reached around her to take the slotted spoon from her. Callie was nervous and it was cute. But she was feeling some nerves herself, so she focused on the cuteness. "Let me take over in here. Your dad's in the living room with Alex and Sof."

Callie took a deep breath before she turned and met blue eyes. "You're not going to let it burn, are you?" she asked, lightly teasing. "Because I can stay and…"

"You know I _can_ cook, I just choose not to, Calliope," Arizona interjected, shaking her head. "And given the choice, I'm picking potentially ruining your delicious dinner over dealing with _that_…" Callie gave her a narrow look and she continued quickly, "It's just your dad. You guys should catch up." She cocked her head, hands settling on her wife's hips. "And you know that if you need me, for _anything_, you know I'm there."

Nodding, Callie snuck a quick kiss. "I know that. And if this stuff with my mom goes the way I think it will…"

"I will be wherever you are," promised Arizona immediately, fingers in the waist of her pants to tug her closer. "Hey, remember when I was in L.A. and we talked about having a date? I still owe you that date…"

An expressive eyebrow arched, intrigued. "It was last week, of course I remember. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, your dad is here and you know he'd love a chance to babysit…" Arizona reminded her, a smile growing slowly. "Tomorrow, maybe? We could go out, you could wear something hot just to torture me," Callie smirked, "And I'll do my best to keep up," Callie scoffed in denial - Arizona was more than capable of keeping up with her, "And we could order a bottle of wine with dinner and take each others' clothes off when we get home?"

Callie wasn't sure she'd ever heard a more appealing plan in her life. "Dad _would_ like to keep her, I bet," she mused. "And it's been a while since I made you drool in public."

It was Arizona's turn to scoff. "Not as long as you think, Calliope." Curious, Callie smirked. "You didn't have another shirt under your scrubs on Monday… I think one of the interns in the pit had a nosebleed while you were down there." She chuckled. "I'm pretty sure he dropped that chart on purpose the second time just so you'd lean over to pick it up."

Brown eyes blinked and she cleared her throat lightly. "I think that's my cue to leave," declared Callie, giving her a final quick kiss. "There're rolls in the oven. Don't forget them, please."

"I got it," Arizona assured her, withdrawing her hands to let her go.

Callie greeted her father with a quick kiss on the cheek, Alex taking her entrance as his exit and jogging up the stairs. "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes if you want some, Karev!" she called after him, taking the seat on the couch next to her father.

Sofia was sitting on her grandfather's knee and cooing. "He's not an ex-boyfriend of Arizona's is he?" Carlos asked, edge in his tone as he stared after the retreating man.

Unable to help herself, Callie laughed. "No, Dad. He's her student, but he lived here since they were both residents at the hospital."

"It's a bit of an odd arrangement, that's all."

"Arizona doesn't have any ex-boyfriends," Callie assured him. "Alex is just a friend. He helps around the house, watches Sofia if we get stuck, stuff like that. He's not great for cooking, but neither is Arizona. She _can_, she just chooses to let me do most of it. They moved out before we got pregnant, but we are all still good friends, and as much as they deny it I think Arizona would miss him if he wasn't around."

Carlos gave her a considering look, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. "You have a wonderful life." Meeting his eyes, Callie swallowed without speaking. "It's all a parent wants for their children, for them to have a good life. You know that now." His voice grew hoarse and he had to clear his throat. "Parents do the best they can, Calliope. And sometimes you're going to make mistakes. We all do…"

Sofia chose that moment to throw herself sideways off of his leg toward the floor and they both lunged to catch her, Callie intercepting her head and shoulder before they could drop too far while Carlos got her legs. Pulling her into her lap, Callie could do nothing but shake her head as the little girl laughed happily at her mother's caution. She was nothing but faithful that she wouldn't be allowed to fall. "Sorry, Dad. It's not you, she just does that sometimes. She thinks it's _funny_, don't you, Sofia?" Arizona entered from the kitchen just in time to hear, "I blame Mama for that little quirk."

"Hey!" the blonde protested, exchanging smiles with her wife. "Is she doing the dive-bombing thing again?" she asked knowingly as she joined them at the couch and leaned over the back to tickle her daughter's tummy. "You've got to stop doing that, sweet pea. It scares your mommies!" Sofia was fearless though.

"Is dinner ready?"

Arizona nodded. "I didn't even burn the rolls," she promised sarcastically. "Carlos, there's plenty if you'd like to join us."

Getting a smile from Callie, the elder Torres nodded graciously and stood up. "Thank you. That would be wonderful."

A sharp whistle from the base of the stairs alerted Alex and he came downstairs to eat, stiff in his seat beside Carlos. Sofia enjoyed her highchair parked at the corner of the table in between her parents, smacking her plastic spoon to the tray to add to the bustle of activity as everyone served up their dinner. Arizona willingly took on the task of feeding the baby, the pair wearing matching smiles as the blonde tried to get the giggling, squirming little girl to actually swallow her food.

Callie couldn't resist sneaking glances at them even as she ate her own dinner. She did it every night at dinner, every morning at breakfast. They were just unbelievably perfect together, her family. She'd never get enough of it.

They kept the conversation light while Alex was at the table with them, no one mentioning Lucia and whatever strange errand had brought her to Seattle. Arizona did take the lull in topics to ask Carlos if he would be willing to babysit the following night. He didn't hesitate to agree, always eager for more time with Sofia.

"You guys working?" Alex asked, frowning in confusion as he tried to remember what cases they were working on.

"No, we're going on a date," Arizona informed him happily. "I promised my woman a night out."

Smirking, Callie rolled her eyes. "She thinks we're a boring old married couple now."

"With as much sex as you guys have?" countered Alex without thinking, going stiff when Callie's eyes went wide across the table while Carlos cleared his throat lightly with his gaze focused on his plate.

Arizona sighed, rubbing her temple lightly while the other hand spun her fork slowly through her spaghetti. "Seriously, Karev? Seriously, you say _that_?"

"Sweetheart…" Callie spoke up in his defense, amused in spite of her embarrassment. It wasn't like he was wrong. Sofia broke the awkwardness with a clatter, pitching her bottle over the side of her tray and shrieking with laughter. "She gets it from you," said Callie with a smirk, leaning over to retrieve the bottle.

"Oh no, Calliope! _You_ are the troublemaker, remember?" They exchanged familiar happy smiles. This was a common argument, which one of them had given which traits to their daughter.

Carlos offered his opinion with a smile, his eyes only darting up from his plate for quick glances, "I believe Arizona may be correct, Calliope. You always were a bit of a troublemaker."

Wanting to share her own feelings about the discussion, Sofia let out a shriek and grabbed onto Arizona's heart necklace. Callie laughed, throwing her head back. "I think she's on my side!" She leaned over to kiss the baby's cheek. "Mama's the troublemaker, isn't she, sweetie?"

Sofia just grinned, yanking on the chain until Arizona gently extracted it from her grip. "I know you're playing, but Mami gave me this and we don't want to break it, do we?" she coaxed, kissing her on the other cheek and giving her the plastic spoon to play with instead. She promptly started beating it against the tray and giggling, pleased with herself. "I think we've got a little wannabe drummer on our hands," Arizona commented as she leaned back into her seat.

Callie could just smile. "Karev, if you buy her a drum set…"

"No way," he promised. "I like the little bit of sleep I get, Torres, and I bet you could hear her from my place!" He sent a look toward Sofia, but it was clear that he was fond of the little baby. "She already gives every chick that sees her an aching womb. They just want me to knock them up."

Laughing, Arizona smiled affectionately at her wife. "She's pretty darn addictive," she agreed smugly. "Everybody loves her!" Her eyes narrowed at her student. "But your lady friends do _not_ touch the baby," she reminded him pointedly.

He rolled his eyes and shoved his last bite into his mouth. "I know the rules about _the baby_," Alex confirmed sarcastically, standing up. "I gotta go, date tonight. Thanks for cooking. Mr. Torres… bye!" Tousling Sofia's hair and waving, he bolted.

Callie couldn't help smirking. "Why did he eat dinner if he was going on a date?"

"Maybe it wasn't a dinner date," suggested Arizona without thinking, blinking when Callie cleared her throat and glanced sharply toward her father. "Maybe they're bowling…" she clarified sheepishly. There had already been entirely to much sex talk at a dinner with her father-in-law. It was freaking her out, making her nervous.

"Dad, I'm glad you're here, but have you talked to Mom? Do you know what she's doing here?" Callie changed the subject swiftly since they were free to discuss it. Arizona picked at her now cold food, her other hand playing absently with Sofia's little socked foot while she listened.

Carlos sighed, shaking his head. "She's not talking to me, mija."

"What does she want with Sofia?" Arizona asked, the baby looking at her at the sound of her own name. She couldn't help smiling back at her. Her daughter really was addicting. And capable of charming anyone. Including, it seemed, her recalcitrant grandmother. But a spot in Sofia's life was a right, not a privilege, and if Lucia wanted one she was going to have to prove she deserved it.

"She's always wanted grandchildren…"

"That doesn't mean she can say the things she's said about Arizona, and about us, and still expect to get to see Sofia," Callie declared seriously. "She can't come around here, hang out outside the nursery, and still refuse to speak to me. And she definitely can't be allowed to tell Sofia that she doesn't have two parents who adore her." Carlos nodded, throat bobbing as he swallowed. "We're all going to hear that from strangers, I won't hear it from my own mother." She took a deep breath, preparing herself. "I've gone this long without a mother. Sofia will _never _have to know what that feels like. And I won't let her make my daughter think for a single second that we don't love her." She hesitated and Arizona took her hand across the table. "If she wants to talk, we can talk, but she can't come into our home and say anything about my wife or our family - _nothing_," she insisted.

Carlos nodded seriously. "I understand, Calliope. And I'm sorry about your mother. She loves you. She's just…"

"I know what she thinks about me," Callie cut in, tone short and sharp. "And don't say it's not about me. It's about me, Dad. And it's about her," she nodded toward Arizona, "This is who I am, _she_ is who I love… Whatever she thinks, it's about us," Arizona squeezed her hand lightly, "And I wish she would come around, but if she doesn't, I still have my wife and our daughter. They're what matter to me. They're what I need."

The charged atmosphere lingered in the wake of Callie's declaration and Carlos fidgeted with his fork, clearing his throat lightly. "I understand, Calliope. I'll talk to her and maybe we can all talk, together." Getting a nod from his daughter and a weak smile from Arizona, he mustered a smile of his own. "Where are you two going on your evening out?" he asked, changing the subject almost eagerly. It was hard on him to see his wife and daughter so at odds with each other.

Callie blinked in surprise and met her wife's eyes. "Oh, I don't know, actually. Arizona?"

The blonde grinned. "I don't think we need to go _that_ far, Calliope. I was thinking maybe we could get some good Italian from that place you like…"

Rolling her eyes at her partner's joke (it slipped her mind sometimes that the name Arizona referred to anything but her wife), Callie smiled, shaking her head. "Very cute," she commented, adoring the dimples that framed Arizona's smile. That smile was magic. _Super_ magic, even. That smile made every day of her life better.

"We can have seafood if you'd rather…" offered Arizona sweetly, bobbing her eyebrows.

"Italian sounds perfect," Callie decided. "And Dad, I don't know what you're doing tomorrow, but if you want to come over around six you can get settled in with her before we leave." She gave him a fond smile. "I know it's been a little while since you've babysat."

He was on the doorstep precisely at six, ringing the doorbell while Callie was still putting the finishing touches on her outfit, sliding her earrings in and clicking down the stairs in her heels. Arizona hadn't seen her yet, but she was going to _lose it_. Her strapless red dress clung to her curves like a second skin, stopping just short of her knees. The black heels would mean that she would be towering over Arizona, but she liked having a little bit of a height advantage. It was hot. And her hair was twisted up into a loose knot at the base of her neck, leaving her shoulders bare. Put it all together and Arizona didn't stand a chance.

"Calliope," her father sighed as she opened the door for him, his light blue eyes taking her in. "Darling, you look beautiful."

Smiling, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Daddy. Sofia's right in here. And she hasn't eaten yet but our reservations aren't for a little while, so we could stick around to give her dinner."

He followed her into the living room, smiling down at his granddaughter in her bouncy, noisy toy. "You should go to dinner, Calliope. I believe Sofia and I can figure out a meal on our own. Can't we, my dear?" he asked hypothetically of the baby, getting a vigorous rattle as his answer.

"Okay," Callie agreed, amused. It really was sweet how much the old man loved spending time with his granddaughter. "Well, there are bottles in the fridge that she likes before dinner, and help yourself to anything in there too. She's got a few toys in the pack and play over there and there are diapers…pretty much anywhere you look."

Carlos nodded and gave a reassuring smile. "Mija, you don't need to worry. You just enjoy your date. Remember, I have done this before," he teased lightly. "You turned out alright, didn't you?"

"Well then how do you explain Aria?" she shot back teasingly, laughing.

His comeback was delayed by Arizona's descent down the stairs, Callie's throat going dry at the first glimpse of her wife's infinitely amazing legs. The blonde just shook her head when she got a wolf whistle of appreciation from her spouse, smiling when she caught sight of her partner. "No, Calliope, it's all you, believe me…"

Arizona was the antithesis of shabby in a midnight blue dress that clung to her chest and abdomen before flaring at her hips and flowing into a light, layered skirt that stopped at the knee on one side, the hem of the fabric slanting down toward mid-calf on the other side. Her hair was loose and soft, just a few pieces pulled back from over her ears to the back of her head.

"You both look stunning," Carlos offered his opinion as Arizona joined them in the living room.

Callie had to put a hand on the arm of the couch to keep from falling over when Arizona bent over to kiss Sofia in her seat. The baby was distracted with her very earnest playing, but she only wriggled away a little from her mother's kiss on the cheek. "You be good for your abuelo, okay, baby girl? Sleep well, Sofia. Mama loves you," she said with another kiss before she straightened back up.

Taking her place leaning over the bouncy seat, Callie could _feel_ her wife's eyes on her backside, could only hope that she was at least attempting subtlety since her dad was standing right there watching. But even if she wasn't, even if Arizona was standing there with her eyes locked on her ass and her tongue hanging out, it didn't really matter. Because their relationship was not dictated by her parents, neither the one who had come around nor the one who hadn't.

Arizona was giving Carlos a final rundown on the emergency numbers and what to do if Sofia somehow managed to do some completely unlikely, impossible thing while Callie escorted her out the door and wished her father a good night. The blonde sighed when she turned in her seat to back the car down the driveway and caught sight of the base of Sofia's carrier in the backseat. "I miss her already," she confessed, Callie smiling almost smugly in the seat beside her. Her wife was a sweet, dorky mom and it was the greatest thing in the world.

"She's going to be fine. My dad's great with kids. And we need a night out to stave off our imminent marital boredom, right?" Callie teased.

Arizona just rolled her eyes. "I never said - you are _not_ boring, Calliope. I am _not_ bored!"

Leaning across the center console, Callie kissed her cheek gently. "Good. Me neither. And have I said yet that you look absolutely beautiful tonight? Because you look absolutely beautiful tonight."

"You," Arizona countered simply. "It's totally you." She laced their fingers on Callie's leg, steering the car with one hand. Callie pulled their hands up to kiss the back of Arizona's which got her a dimpled smile across the car. "I'm going to have the most gorgeous date in the place."

Her finger brushed Callie's wedding band and she lingered to push it back and forth against her joint for a second. This woman was wearing her ring, had given her their child, loved _her_. It still struck her from out of nowhere sometimes and it was just as entirely _awesome_ as it had been the first second she'd ever put that ring on her finger, the first second they'd ever seen Sofia's heartbeat on the ultrasound, and every single time Callie repeated those three little words.

Callie could see it in her eyes and she dragged their hands back to her lips. "I have a request for tonight," she murmured against soft skin.

"Anything in the world," Arizona promised. And she meant it. Anything at all that Callie wanted, she would do for her.

"I don't want to talk about my mom." Blue eyes glanced sideways at her, not expecting that. "She's here, and that's weird. And maybe she's coming around, that would be nice. And maybe she's not, who knows? But tonight is not about her. Tonight is about you and me. And she can spoil tomorrow night, but I want this night for us."

Nodding, it took Arizona a long moment to swallow the lump in her throat. "Alright…" Callie kissed her hand again before she gave it back.

They had a few minutes before their reservation so Arizona parked down the block from the restaurant and quickly rushed to get the door for Callie, giving her a charming smile as she offered her arm. "Oh, pulling out all the stops tonight?"

"You better believe it, baby!" answered Arizona cheerfully, walking them slowly along the waterfront sidewalk. The moon was rising over the cityscape and Callie looked like she could be glowing under the light. Or maybe that was just how she looked to Arizona herself, but if it was just her she could live with that. Everyone else was just missing out. And the two of them got enough glances their way as it was even when they _weren't_ dressed to kill.

The wine and conversation flowed easily during their meal and they opted to take another walk in the fresh air before they went home. There were clouds out after they left the restaurant and Arizona got their umbrella from the car for their stroll, holding Callie's hand with her other hand. Glancing sideways at her, the blonde felt almost shy. Calliope was _stunning_.

"What's that look for?" Callie asked, her voice drawing Arizona back to the present.

Swallowing before she answered, Arizona smiled and squeezed her fingers. "Everyone in there was looking at you…"

Callie's answering smile was slow, amused. "Were they? I didn't notice," she said, swinging their joined hands lightly between them. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off of Arizona all night. And she'd noticed more than one appreciative glance directed at her wife as well. "Well, I'm going home with you, so that sucks for them…"

"Yeah, it does," Arizona agreed with a laugh, bumping her shoulder against her partner's arm. "Hey, I went by the courthouse today during lunch…"

"Is that where you were? I paged you when you didn't show up, but Teddy said she thought you were in surgery…"

Arizona bit her lip. "I got the papers and stuff. I mean, if you still want to…"

"Arizona Robbins, we are signing those papers," Callie cut her off. "We're getting…" she paused to consider, "remarried, or legalized? Whatever the right word is, we're doing it." She hugged her wife's arm. "We can sign them tomorrow at work with the notary and drop them in the mail." Pulling her against her side, Callie kissed the side of her head. "Unless you want to make an occasion out of it…" she offered. As far as she was concerned they were married, and Arizona had expressed the same sentiment herself, but she wanted her wife to have whatever she wanted.

"Mailing it in is perfect," Arizona agreed. "This is a technicality. A pretty important one, but still a technicality." Pulling them to a stop, she turned to look out at the water, smiling when Callie promptly curled both arms around her from behind and pulled her back against herself. "Thank you for tonight."

Chuckling, Callie nuzzled her neck, pecking lightly at her skin. "I think you asked me out, actually," she murmured, nudging hair out of her way so she could get behind Arizona's ear. She smelled amazing - soap and shampoo and just the tiniest bit of perfume and something that was just Arizona. "So thank _you_."

"Is it asking you out if we're married?" the blonde questioned, unconsciously leaning her head back against Callie's shoulder.

"We're on a date, aren't we?" Callie reasoned.

Smiling, Arizona tilted her chin up so she could get a glimpse at the side of her face. "So if someone else asked you out…?" Callie didn't respond vocally, just pinched her sharply on the ass in non-verbal rebuke. "Just checking," Arizona teased, smirking until Callie's hand turned her face in to meet her lips.

A tongue was immediately seeking entrance and Arizona let her in without hesitation. They were on the street after a delicious meal, with a baby at home that should be happily asleep by now, but the kiss didn't want to end. Spinning her in her arms, Callie knew she shouldn't really be groping her wife's ass on the sidewalk, but she couldn't force herself to care that much.

"So, this is a date, right?" Arizona breathed between increasingly breathless, sloppy kisses. Their dates had always ended well. Callie mumbled some kind of affirmative before her free hand wound through blonde hair and dragged her back in. "So when I take you home with me…"

"We get naked," confirmed Callie, nipping her bottom lip for emphasis.

Arizona couldn't help a moan, feeling the cool metal of the round rail that lined the sidewalk pressing into her back. It was a sharp contrast between the scorching heat of Callie against her front, tongue in her mouth and fingers in her hair (and on her ass). "Nngh, okay, home now," she ground out desperately. That red dress was tormenting her and it was time for it to stop.


	79. Chapter 66

Making out against their front door wasn't exactly what Arizona had had in mind when she'd requested that they stop making out on the street to go home, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stop Callie. She'd just fumble blindly in the dark for the keyhole while her wife sucked on her neck in between kisses she never wanted to end.

And then the porch light snapped on overhead and Callie went stiff in an instant. "Oh my God, it's like high school," she whispered as she flashed back to years ago and the dozens of times she'd been busted making out by her father.

Unable to help herself, Arizona burst out laughing loudly. The door opened behind her and she hastily covered her mouth. "Good evening, Carlos," she greeted him, wiping her lips and trying to restrain her giggling.

"Calliope, Arizona," he said dryly, his eyes politely averted. His hand scratched lightly at his beard. "Did you have a nice dinner?"

"Very nice," Callie agreed, swiping a thumb across her own lips and one hand down the side of Arizona's neck. There was nothing she could do to hide the remnants of the marks she'd left on her skin, but the lipstick could be removed and she did it as quickly as she could, catching Arizona still struggling not to laugh. "How was Sofia? Did she give you a lot of trouble at bed time?"

He stepped out of the doorway as Callie pulled Arizona into the house, shaking his head. "No, of course not. She's wonderful. An angel."

"She gets it from her Mami," Arizona said smugly, dimpled smile firmly in place.

Callie had to restrain herself from smacking her wife's butt in front on her father. She knew exactly what she was doing to her with those eyes, that smile.

Fortunately for them, Carlos was cognizant of the untimely interruption he'd caused and he was already reaching for his coat on the rack. "I believe she likely gets it from both of her mothers," he agreed. "And I appreciate you both giving me so much time with her tonight, but I think I should get back to your mother."

Nodding, Callie kissed his cheek lightly. "Thank you so much for babysitting. I'll call you tomorrow when we get home?" The tentative plan was to have Carlos and Lucia over for dinner and sure to be awkward, uncomfortable conversation. They'd toyed with the idea of going out, but Arizona hadn't wanted to drag Sofia out with them, and she had a sneaking suspicion that being in their own home would help Callie feel more secure.

"Of course. Good night." He left them with a kiss on each of their cheeks, Arizona sliding an arm around Callie's waist as they watched him go down the walkway to the driveway.

Turning the porch light off only when he was in his car, Callie flipped the deadbolt on the front door and slipped her own arm behind Arizona. "Can we go check on baby girl?" the blonde asked eagerly even as Callie was leaning in to get back to her neck.

Huffing a laugh into her skin, Callie satisfied herself (not really) with a quick kiss under her ear. "Yeah, let's do it," she agreed willingly, Arizona lacing their fingers with a laugh and steering her to the stairs. The zipper in between the blonde's shoulder blades was teasing Callie as she followed her wife upstairs and she couldn't resist tugging it downward, just smirking at the sharp blue look over a bare shoulder that got her.

"Behave yourself, Calliope," Arizona chided her, the single strap of her dress the only thing keeping it from sliding off. She stumbled when warm lips kissed her back, an arm around her waist keeping her steady. "Five minutes," she requested, suddenly breathless.

Callie nipped firmly at the base of her neck. "I'm timing you," she agreed in a growl, releasing the arm around her waist but not zipping the dress back up. Arizona would just have to deal for five minutes. And if gravity wanted to help her out and get her wife naked, she wasn't going to take that possibility away.

The eager lust was tempered by the quiet darkness of their sleeping daughter's bedroom, the glowing nightlight making it easy to see her sweet face relaxed in sleep. "She's awesome," Arizona sighed, leaning into the crib to pull the blanket back up over her tiny body. It wouldn't last long - Sofia squirmed and sprawled in her sleep like her Mami. Arizona happened to think that it was one of the sweetest things she could have in common with her mother.

"She is," Callie agreed warmly, one arm curled up Arizona's back so she could absently trail her fingers through blonde hair. "She's not going to be traumatized by watching me fight with my mom tomorrow, is she?"

Arizona glanced sideways at her, lips pursed. "No, Calliope. She's going to be fine. Are _you_ - are we talking about her now?"

"No," decided Callie, shaking her head. "We're going to let our baby sleep, and we're going to go to our room, and you're going to make love to me…"

Swallowing hard, Arizona nodded. She could definitely do that. Anything Callie needed from her to get through this, she would get it - without reservation.

Long steps drove them backward, kissing again before they reached the door. Heels were kicked off and left abandoned in the hall. Hopefully they wouldn't make too much noise if they tripped over them in the morning. Arizona shrugged out of her loosened dress and Callie instantly ducked her head to explore the newly revealed flesh, both arms pulling her in so hands could explore bare skin.

Callie could only groan when Arizona squirmed free and she got a look at the whole picture. Matching pink lace made her smile even as it made her throat go dry. Stunning. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. She was the luckiest person in the world. Not only was she with someone who was heart-stoppingly beautiful, but her wife was also thoughtful, loving, sweet, protective, charming, strong, and supportive.

Quick fingers made sport of her strapless bra and sent it to join the dress on the floor. As good as underwear looked on Arizona, it inevitably looked better on the floor after she took it off of her. Lips closed around a tight, hot nipple and Arizona bucked in her arms.

"Calliope, bed," the blonde gasped out, fingers wound into the back of Callie's hair to undo the knot. She needed to get her hands in the thick, soft, dark hair. But she couldn't do it once her knees gave out. Callie switched to the other breast and the hand that wasn't pushing her panties down her ass went to cover the side she'd just left. "Cal-" she couldn't finish, just gasp as a stumble landed them right on the very edge of bed for a split-second before they tumbled to the floor in a naked heap.

Or at least one of them was _mostly_ naked. Somehow Callie's clingy red dress was still hanging around, unfortunately. Arizona was quick to rectify that while her lover was laughing helplessly into her chest, finding the zipper, dragging it down, and peeling the sides of the fabric away from smooth flesh. Callie sat up to push it down her chest and Arizona let out a groan of appreciation and gratitude as her eyes drank in all the cleavage.

"How do we always end up on the floor?" Callie mused with a wide smile, sitting up on her knees so Arizona could shove the dress further down her hips.

"Sorry," Arizona offered sheepishly even as she grinned back at her. "We can get on the bed."

Callie just kissed her swiftly before standing up to shuck her dress off entirely, shimmying out of her underwear at the same time. Arizona was left sitting stunned on the floor as her wife scrambled up onto their bed. "Are you going to join me or just stay down there all night?" requested Callie, dropping her bra over the edge of the bed and unintentionally landing it directly on top of Arizona's head. She burst into laughter when the blonde head popped into view over the edge of the mattress with one cup covering half of her face like the strangest eye patch in the world.

Growling, Arizona pulled it off her head and tossed it aside, ridding herself of the last of her clothing before diving onto the bed with her wife. "Is something funny, Calliope?" she asked, smirking as she leaned in, hands on either side of her head as she stretched out above her.

Callie's giggling was only cut off by a moan when a leg slipped between her thighs, providing very distracting friction. "Not anymore," she said, leaning up to meet her lips. "Arizona…"

Knowing exactly what she needed, a hand slid in between them and down. "Oh, that really _isn't_ funny, is it?" she teased, dipping her head again to kiss gasping, needy lips. "I love you," she whispered as she swiped a thumb across the Latina's clit, working her up slowly. At least, that was what she _intended_ to do. In reality, after only an all too brief stretch of time, Callie's hips were bucking helplessly, her orgasm shooting like fire through her veins, her heart, her lungs, out the top of her head and the soles of her feet. Watching her come, Arizona was left breathless herself. "Wow," she murmured, pecking kisses beneath her jaw and slumping into her while the brunette tried to collect enough wits to catch her breath.

"Oh my God, thank you," Callie gasped, able to feel Arizona's lips twitch in a smile against her neck. She curled an arm around her wife's shoulders, trailing her fingers back and forth across the top of her arm. "I love you." She turned her head to plant a breathless kiss on her forehead, catching her chin with her free hand and coaxing her head up to meet her lips for a kiss.

Arizona's smile grew when she felt the gentle pressure dumping her onto her back. Anything Callie wanted from her, she would get it. And if that included her wife kissing a path down her body, then goody for her.

It was much less relaxed and fun to give Callie what she needed the next afternoon when she knew that it would likely involve tears and accusations and complete disregard for her place in her own family from her mother-in-law. But she loved her wife, so she would do it. She took comfort in snuggling her face into Sofia's sweet little neck while she moved them around the living room and waited for the doorbell to ring.

Callie insisted that she was fine, but she was also cooking in the kitchen and had rather manically shut down Arizona's offer to help. So the blonde was dancing their daughter around the other room, simultaneously entertaining the baby and relaxing herself. She'd mocked Cristina and Meredith more than once about their favorite form of stress relief, but she definitely needed to dance it out right now.

Holding Sofia up at eyelevel with both hands, she stole a quick kiss from the baby and turned her from side to side gently to get her daughter in on dancing. She spun when Callie's voice asked from behind her, "Having fun?"

Sofia was grinning and giggling in the completely adorable way she had, and Arizona hopped them rhythmically to where Callie was in the doorway. "She's having fun. And she's pretty amazing at relieving stress," she answered. "Want to give her a try? You two can dance it out for a little while and I'll keep an eye on the kitchen," offered Arizona.

The baby reached for her eagerly and Callie took her with a smiling sigh as her baby squirmed in her arms. "She's stress relief? Do I look stressed?" Arizona just arched an eyebrow and didn't bother replying. Callie caught her arm before the blonde could duck toward the kitchen. "Dinner's going to be fine on its own. And you're pretty good stress relief yourself." Her expression was already guarded in preparation for her mother's arrival, her fingers unintentionally tight on Arizona's arm. "Dance it out with us?" she pleaded.

Arizona was already winding their fingers together, bobbing to the music. "Calliope, I would dance it out with you anytime, anywhere," she promised with a smile as she spun her wife and baby playfully. Sofia was overjoyed with the whole thing, the music and the dancing and her mothers, squealing and wriggling to participate.

And, of course, when the interruptions came, they came simultaneously, the timer in the kitchen chiming only seconds before the doorbell rang. Exchanging glances, Arizona slipped an arm under Sofia's butt and nodded toward the front door. "I'll get dinner out?" Callie checked, grateful for even the momentary reprieve.

"I'll get the door," confirmed Arizona with another nod, bouncing Sofia on her hip. "Go," she coaxed, pecking a quick kiss to her wife's lips. "We'll play nice, I promise." Sofia giggled. "We'll lay some of the old Robbins charm on her," Arizona said, winking and grinning.

Callie couldn't help answering her grin in spite of her nerves. Who the hell knew? That could work. Arizona was _very _charming. And Sofia was the cutest little baby on the planet. "I'm in love with you," she whispered, feeling some of the tension drain as she looked into the blue eyes that she lived for. No matter what her mother said, she had these two. She had her family already and nothing anyone said could take them away from her.

Arizona's next breath was shaky and she stole another quick kiss. "Calliope, you're going to make me cry. I can't cry right now! I have to go answer the door and you need to make sure dinner's not burning!" The doorbell chimed again and Arizona squared her shoulders. "I'm in love with you too," she stated, just for the record, as she backed away and turned the stereo off. "Now go in the kitchen before I cry…"

Flipping on the porch light revealed Carlos' tentative smile and Arizona waved for him to let himself in, her arms full of still squirmy baby. "Arizona, Sofia, good evening," he said, greeting them both with light kisses on the cheek. "Lucia, this is the girls' house. It's very nice, isn't it?"

The older woman glanced around but remained noncommittal, not saying anything.

"We like it," Arizona chimed in to fill the silence. "We're talking about painting the living room though. Callie always says it's like an Easter basket in here with all the pastels. Of course, between work and this one," she hoisted Sofia in demonstration, "it'll be a while before we'll be able to do it anyway. Plenty of time to argue about paint colors." She realized she was rambling, talking babbling nonsense in front of her in-laws, but she just couldn't seem to make her mouth stop moving. Damn. And Sofia was too little yet to knowingly help break the awkwardness. Instead she just sat there adorably trying to suck on all five fingers at once. Not particularly helpful, but damn cute nonetheless.

Arizona couldn't help feeling grateful when Callie rushed through the swinging door to make her appearance, fastidiously brushing invisible lint off of her pants. "Hey, Dad, Mom," she greeted them, hugging her father and receiving a visibly tense and awkward hug from her mother. "Welcome to our home. Come in. Dinner just came out of the oven."

The meal conversation was carried by Arizona and Carlos, Callie distracting herself with feeding Sofia while Lucia just ate silently. She would respond politely, if a bit coolly, if spoken to directly, but remained stubbornly quiet otherwise. But between Arizona, Sofia, and Carlos, there was little dead air.

The transition to the living room went quiet again, Arizona reluctantly putting Sofia in her little spinning, bouncing, noisemaking toy that Alex had given her (and she was more than happy to have grown into). She was quick to sit down close beside Callie on the couch, one hand supportively on her knee while the other arm stretched out behind her on the top of the couch. Interestingly, the Torres parents were seated on the love seat but there was noticeable space between them, each sitting up against an armrest. At least they weren't facing a united front.

Carlos cleared his throat to break the silence, sending a look sideways at his wife. "Darling…"

"I don't agree with this," Lucia started, Callie sucking in a sharp breath and going stiff. "It's not right and it's not what you were raised to believe…"

Arizona put a supportive hand on her back but waited to see what Callie would say. She looked undeniably wounded but she gathered herself. "Mom, I know what I believe, and how I feel about Arizona isn't wrong." She smiled sadly and her hand found Arizona's on her leg. "You know, we got asked to be taken off of a case a few weeks ago, not because of anything that we did, but because the mother of our patient saw each of us individually with our daughter and went to the Chief of Surgery and told him that she didn't want us helping her daughter anymore because we are married and women."

Arizona wasn't even looking at her in-laws for their reaction, keeping her eyes locked on Callie. In the immediate aftermath of that incident she'd been the one who'd been upset and Callie had calmed her down. Clearly it had had more of an effect on her partner than she'd realized. "Calliope…"

Turning her head, Callie gave her a reassuring smile, feeling the hand on her back rubbing gently and she squeezed their fingers. "I don't know what her she was afraid of exactly, but I think she must be a terribly lonely, frightened, angry person to be so against people loving each other," she said slowly, looking directly at her mother as she spoke. "And I know that it's not how I was raised, but I love Arizona. I love her the way that you love Daddy," Lucia's mouth dropped open just slightly and she exchanged looks with her husband, "And I believe that the God I believe in, the one who made me and made her, I believe he made us for each other." She let out a deep breath. It hadn't been a long speech, nor a Robbins level declaration, but she still needed a breath. Arizona's forehead leaned against her shoulder and she turned her head to kiss her hair lightly.

"Calliope…" Carlos murmured, his slow smile pleased and proud.

"And we love our daughter the way you both love me and Aria, and the way Arizona's parents love her and Tim," Callie continued. "And I understand if you can't bend on this, Mom, really, I do. But I'll tell you this right now, Sofia will never know how this feels. I will bend for her. Because she's my daughter. And anything Arizona ever needs from me, she will get. I will bend for her. Because she's my wife. And wherever we go from here, however much you decide to bend, that's up to you. I will bend _for_ either of them, but I won't bend on their place in my life or our family."

Arizona picked her head up to kiss her cheek, whispering in her ear, "I will paint the entire house any color you want. Tomorrow," she promised lightly. Callie was devoted to her, to their daughter and their family, and she knew it, had never doubted it, but hearing her laying it out so plainly - it was incredible.

Smiling, Callie turned her head to meet her partner's eyes. "Not necessary, but thank you. We'll figure out a good color. No hurry." Leaning forward, she bumped her nose against Arizona's. They both looked over when Sofia squealed, slapping a hand to the colorful spinning beads on her toy. She just grinned proudly when she spotted her parents looking at her.

"Callie…" Her attention was redirected back to her mother when she heard her name. She didn't move away from Arizona, didn't drop her hand or hide her smile when the blonde's head returned to its spot on her shoulder. It was Arizona's favorite way to sit whenever they watched TV, snuggling her head against her shoulder, her chest. "I don't know how much I can bend," Lucia said slowly. Callie didn't speak, just blinked at her while Arizona's thumb rolled circles across the back of her hand. "But you're my daughter. You have a daughter. With a woman. It's a lot to come to terms with. I'm not here to hurt you, Callie. Or to complicate your life. I'm just trying to understand."

Sighing, Callie nodded. "Okay. But why did that start with being _really_ creepy at my daughter's daycare? Why didn't you just call us? Or come with Dad to visit?"

Lucia echoed her exhalation. "Would you have answered the phone? I know I wasn't gracious or… kind last time we spoke." Her shoulders slumped and she looked at Sofia. "Your daughter is very sweet, Callie, Arizona."

The blonde smiled at the oblivious baby, happily unaware that she was being discussed. "She gets it from her Mami," said Arizona softly. Hearing the word, the tone in her mother's voice, Sofia looked at them, the grin on her face drawing answering expressions to her parents' faces.

Lucia cleared her throat lightly and Arizona looked at her. "Your brother, he told me… that who you love doesn't change you - who you are…"

"No, I don't guess it does - for him. He's my, our brother. The fact that I love a woman doesn't change that for him. He loves me. He loves Callie too. But loving Calliope, being in love with your daughter, does change me. I'm a better person than I was before her. She makes me better, makes me want to be better. And I know that I do the same thing for her." Callie's hand squeezed her knee and Arizona couldn't help grinning.

Lucia's expression went tight again though at the affectionate display and Callie sighed. "If all this is about Sofia, if you think you're obligated…"

"Callie…"

"No, listen, this is my life, my family, it's not some obligation you have to get through to make yourself feel good," Callie cut in. "If you don't want to be here, if you don't want to see me, you don't have to. I'm okay, I'm happy. _We_ are happy. And if you're thinking you owe Sofia something, you don't. She's not-"

Arizona cut in then, "Callie! Don't!" She spoke loudly, covering the sound of whatever her partner said next. "You don't _ever_ say that." Their eyes locked. "Not ever," she ordered seriously. "_Our_ daughter would not exist if it wasn't for you."

Callie's expression softened and she touched Arizona's cheek gently. "I know that. I wasn't going to say that, I promise." She nodded slowly and her gaze shifted back to her mother. "What I'm saying is that it's your choice to love her. If she has two grandmothers is up to you. Whether you have a granddaughter is up to you, Mom."

Lucia nodded her understanding and took a deep breath. "May I have time? Your father had time, give me time…"

Instead of answering, Callie looked down at Sofia, still playing innocently, and sideways at Arizona. One eyebrow rose in question. Her mother had had the same amount of time to adjust, to deal with this, that her father had, but had stubbornly refused to do it. And it wasn't just her relationship with Arizona. She'd come out before she'd married George, before she'd ever even met George. She'd had years to deal with this. But her marriage to Arizona Robbins was going to be permanent. And there was a baby now. (Thank _God_ she'd never had a pregnancy scare with George.) If her mother wanted to be a part of her life, this, as it was now, was how it was going to stay. This was what she needed to accept - her wife, their baby.

"Calliope?" Arizona whispered, drawing her back from her thoughts.

"You can have time, Mom, but this going to where we work, hanging out outside the nursery, that's not okay," said Callie, squeezing her wife's hand. "Call and talk if you want to, come visit with Dad, but you can't go to the hospital and watch our daughter."

Arizona cleared her throat as she lifted her head. "And if you don't talk to Calliope, try and fix this, you can't be around Sofia," she declared. "You don't get to be a grandmother if you're not willing to be a real mother to your daughter." Blue eyes sought brown, making sure she hadn't overstepped her bounds. She'd given the same rule to Carlos when he'd first come around again, but Callie hadn't been a party to that conversation. She relaxed when Callie gave her a nod, their noses nudging again. And she didn't resist leaning in for a brief, soft kiss.

Lucia's expression was tight, almost pained, but she nodded brusquely, standing up. Callie was quickly on her feet as well, Arizona only a second behind her. "I think-"

"Do you want to hold Sofia before you leave?" asked Callie quickly, sure her mother wanted to flee now.

Arizona fetched the baby from her toy, her sweet little face going disgruntled at having her playtime disturbed until the raspberry on her tummy made her giggle again. She looked intrigued by the sight of her grandmother, someone unfamiliar, but the older woman didn't reach for her and she curled shyly into Arizona's shoulder when Lucia leaned in and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "What a sweet girl you are," the blonde murmured to her, the tickle of her breath on the baby's ear making her smile.

"Thank you for dinner," Lucia stammered, nodding to Arizona and pecking Callie's cheek before backing away. "Good night."

She didn't look back, just marched toward the front door and left Carlos to look after her. "Calliope…"

"It's fine, Dad," Callie told him, shaking her head and leaning in to kiss his cheek with both hands on his shoulders. "It's honestly more than I was expecting. Let's all just give her some space for a while."

"Dinner really was lovely," he said, hugging his daughter lightly. "Thank you both." He hoisted Sofia up for a hug, the baby giggling when his beard tickled her face. "I love you, Sofia."

Arizona took care of locking up behind him, leaving Sofia with Callie to get settled on the couch while she went into the kitchen to clean up after their meal. When she returned the baby was yawning sleepily and Callie was staring at a book in the dark, the lampshade tilted to keep light out of Sofia's face. Arizona took a seat by her wife's curled up legs, pulling her feet into her lap. "What are you thinking?" she asked when Callie didn't look away from her book.

"I'm thinking that I never want our kids to feel like she makes me feel," whispered Callie, one hand stroking soft brown hair where Sofia's head was nestled against her chest. The book was only held open by her thumb, would be invisible in the dimness if she was actually trying to read.

Arizona could almost feel her heart break. She knew that they wouldn't always get it right, parents made mistakes, but she knew beyond any doubt that Callie (or she, herself) would never walk away from Sofia (or any other children they might have) because of who they chose to love (nor for any other reason she could imagine). No, their children would never have to feel like this. She hated that Callie felt like this, even with the chance of reconciliation.

"You won't," Arizona promised, swallowing hard. "She won't, they won't, because we're never going to turn our backs on them." Her thumbs unconsciously rubbed the soles of her wife's feet and she paused. "That doesn't mean that we have to like who they bring home, do we?" she asked teasingly.

It got the laugh she was hoping for. "Oh, hell no," Callie agreed, covering the sleeping Sofia's ear with a hand. "Girl or boy, they've still got to be good enough for her."

Chuckling, Arizona shifted so she could stretch her legs out on the couch as well, one of Callie's legs in between hers so she didn't have to stop rubbing her foot. "That's going to be a short list," she scoffed. "How do you think I'm doing with your parents? I mean, it's too little, too late for them to try and object and get rid of me, but I can't help being kind of curious how I stack up."

It was Callie's turn to scoff. "Arizona, you've stood up to both of my parents for me and for our family. My dad respects that, trust me. And he's hated everyone I brought home." She laughed, smiling down the couch at her wife. "After the George debacle, I heard he showed up at the hospital where we worked in Miami and choked him up against a wall."

Blue eyes went wide and she licked her lips. "So, it's good that I haven't even been able to look at another woman since I met you," she reasoned, huffing when the Latina poked her sharply in the stomach with her toes. She knew Arizona would never cheat on her, but even joking about it made something in her gut twist sharply.

"It is good," Callie agreed coolly. "Especially since we _still_ haven't replaced this couch."

Arizona's jaw dropped. "Calliope…!" She only looked more surprised when Callie pulled her feet out of her hands and sat up, one hand holding the sleeping baby to her chest. "Babe…"

"You wouldn't," Callie interjected. "I know that," she said, taking Arizona's hand as she got to her feet and pulling her up. "Come on, let's get this one in her bed so we can go to _our _bed…" she coaxed, tone promising.

She needn't have bothered with the pleading, Arizona would follow her anywhere.

* * *

><p>Pretty sure this is the longest chapter of the fic... Hope you're feeling better :)<p> 


	80. Chapter 67

The ER was loud and noisy when Arizona arrived to answer her page, sticking her head in the first trauma room to get details. "Dr. O'Malley, you paged?" Unconsciously or not, she never called him George, only Dr. O'Malley.

He was busy, couldn't spare more than a glance. "Incoming bus with a nine year old girl injured in a car accident. There's internal bleeding so she'll need to get to surgery as quickly as possible."

Quick fingers combed her hair into a ponytail and Arizona nodded, checking her pockets. "Alright. Did you page Ortho? And Karev?"

"Both," he confirmed. "And the OR will be waiting on you."

She left him to his work and weaved through the crowd toward the ambulance bay. Callie was already there and she handed over a pair of gloves and signaled for Arizona to turn around so she could tie her thin yellow gown for her. "You're here for the incoming kid, right? It looks like we'll be in the OR together."

"Good," Arizona hummed, giving her a smile as she turned back around. "It's been a while since we operated together. Did you get any details on the case? Because I just heard internal bleeding."

"Broken rib punctured her lung and her leg was pinned and there's a lot of damage," Callie ran down the information she'd been given. "Sounds like we'll get to spend the day together."

Arizona smiled but it was strained. "Not exactly how I'd rather do it, but I'll take what we can get." The sirens were growing louder in the background. "Did O'Malley say, are the parents coming in or were they in the accident?"

"I'm not sure," Callie said, shrugging as Alex jogged out to join them. She tied the strings of his trauma gown behind his neck for him.

"We got a kid?" he asked, raising his voice over the siren as the ambulance tore into the bay.

"Internal bleeding and broken bones," Arizona confirmed as they jogged forward. "The OR is waiting on us." There was a second ambulance that drove in right behind the first and Meredith and Izzie ran to meet it.

The little girl on their gurney was covered in blood, her body broken, and the three doctors went to work immediately. "We need scans right away and take her straight to the OR," Callie ordered, feeling a broken hip under her experienced touch. "Pelvic fracture down here. It's a miracle if she's not already bleeding out."

"We've got no breath sounds on this side. Might be a collapsed lung," stated Arizona from the other side of the rolling gurney. "Karev, what about your side?"

"Obvious skeletal trauma to the arm and leg, but it looks more like kid versus car than a typical car accident. The lung's still up on this side though," he answered her.

From the other ambulance, the girl's mother was screaming and started to chase after them. Arizona had to intercept her, both hands holding the woman back. "We've got to get her into surgery right now. What can you tell me about what happened?" she asked, frowning as she checked the woman for injuries. "Ma'am, it looks like you hit your head. You were in the accident too?" She got no answer but a struggle to break free and she determinately steered the patient into a wheelchair as Meredith appeared with one. "Grey, what do we know?"

"From what the husband and the EMT said," she hesitated and Arizona gestured impatiently for her to continue, "It sounds like the car they were in hit the girl. And then a tree"

Blue eyes went wide. Damn. "Okay, well, you handle the Neuro exam and keep us updated. We've got the kid in OR 1. Are either of them going to need Ortho? Because Callie's got her hands full with the little girl."

The woman in the chair's head came up, her eyes focusing. "You…" Her voice was hoarse and rough.

Arizona frowned. Was that accusation she heard in her voice? "Ma'am? Do I know you?"

"You're the one," she had to stop and gasp in pain, her hand on her chest, "the one with the wife…"

The two surgeons exchanged surprised glances and Arizona took another look at the patient, recognition sinking in. "Oh… Mrs. Simpson, right?" She lifted both hands and backed away. "My wife is trying to save your daughter's life, but I'll go tell her to stop if you'd rather I do that," she growled, knowing even as she said it that she was being unprofessional and bitter, but unable to help herself. "Grey, I need to get up to the OR, but if you would page your sister, the Chief, and Kepner, send them up, please?"

Spinning on her toes, she left the ER still struggling to regain control of her temper and the tears that went along with it. Damn it. She was better than this. Riding the elevator up to the OR floor, she couldn't stop the angry tears but wiped them brutally away when the doors chimed and opened. Instead of scrubbing in, she grabbed a mask and joined Callie and Alex in the operating room.

"What are you doing?" Callie asked from her side of the table, hands already covered in blood. "You're going to need to scrub in. There's too many bleeders. We need your hands."

"Actually, we've been taken off the case," Arizona told her reluctantly, meeting her eyes when Callie's head shot up.

"What?" Alex demanded. "That's insane, boss. This kid is bleeding out!"

"That's Kelly Simpson," said Arizona, knowing that Callie would recognize the name.

"You've got to be kidding me," the Ortho surgeon breathed out in disbelief. "Where the hell do they let this kid play?" It had been a few months since her broken arm, but this was her third hospital visit in a year. "I can't stop right now. If I take my hand out, she's going to die."

"I know," Arizona agreed, nodding. "I asked Grey to page Little Grey, Kepner, and the Chief."

"What the hell is going on?" questioned Karev anxiously, frowning over his shoulder at his mentor. "Why aren't you in here?"

Sighing, Arizona chewed on her lip behind the mask she was holding over her face. "This girl's parents, or at least her mother, asked the Chief that Callie and I not be a part of their daughter's medical care after they found out we are married to each other."

He was immediately scowling, brows furrowed over his own mask. "What? That's some bullshit! Robbins…"

"We don't have a choice, Alex," she cut him off gently. "The mother knows we're up here, and she talked to the Chief last time specifically to ask that we not treat her daughter anymore, so we don't have a choice. Once Kepner gets in here to take Callie's place, you and Grey have to handle this because we can't touch this patient."

"This is shit," he repeated stubbornly.

"Yeah, it is," Callie agreed, drawing his angry eyes. "But we can't help who we help."

The beep of the intercom drew their gazes up, Chief Webber in the observation gallery. "Dr. Grey told me what was going on. That's the Simpson girl?"

"Yes sir," Arizona answered him. "I paged the other Grey and Kepner to stand in for Callie and myself. We'll probably need to observe, though."

He nodded, arms crossed him chest while he scowled down at the OR. He had said last time this had been an issue that he was in disagreement with the parents' decision, but their hands were tied. "That will be fine, Dr. Robbins. Thank you."

The two residents were confused when Arizona ordered them to scrub in, Callie instructing Kepner where to hold pressure while she maneuvered her hands out of the way. "But why can't you do it? You're both right here…" April asked uncertainly, her voice high and nervous.

"They're out because the patient's parents are homophobes," Alex growled, still frustrated.

"Karev!" Arizona called him down sternly. "It's true, but don't say it."

Callie gave Kepner instructions step by step to reset some of the broken bones while Arizona spotted bleeders for Alex and Lexie. Her fingers were itching to help when the pair started their repairs to a punctured kidney, but she had to keep her hands behind her back.

Commotion in the gallery drew their attention, Arizona frowning behind her mask when she noticed Bailey arguing with the Chief. "What's wrong?" she called, knowing they could hear her.

"I need you and Torres, now!" Bailey answered her, speaking fast and clearly frantic.

"We're in surgery. What's wrong?"

The Chief cleared his throat, one hand on the short woman's shoulder. "Dr. Bailey's son Tuck has been in an accident. A bookcase collapsed on him. How's it going down there? Can you two come out?"

Locking eyes, Callie nodded. Her part of the surgery was done for now. "Alex?" Arizona asked, feeling the tension in him where he was standing beside her. "You got this?" He didn't say anything but she nodded in understanding. "Chief, could you get Dr. Altman in here, please? We've got a collapsed lung we could use a hand on." He was capable but the way he was feeling, his annoyance at the situation, better safe than sorry.

"She's on her way," he assured her.

"You've got this, Alex," Arizona murmured to him. "You've done on a collapsed lung before. And Teddy has your back."

"Robbins! Torres!" barked Bailey from overhead. "OR 2 _now_!"

"We're on our way," Callie promised, praying that the Chief would keep the strong willed surgeon out of the gallery overseeing her son. She couldn't operate on her friend's child while her friend was watching. It was unimaginable. And Bailey made a lot of the rules around the hospital and enforced even more, but surely she wouldn't be allowed into that gallery. Just the thought of watching anyone operate on Sofia made her want to be sick. "I'm going to go see what we're dealing with," she told Arizona and their residents. "Call if anything happens in here, we'll try and talk you through it."

Arizona left only after her best friend showed up to watch over the operation, finding Callie looking at scans in the scrub room across the hall. Ducking her head to get a look for herself, Arizona groaned. "Oh my God…"

"Yeah," agree Callie heavily, holding up another shot to the light for her. "All the organs in his abdomen are in his chest." And while Arizona tended to that, there were plenty of broken bones for her to deal with. "This bookcase must have been enormous. It's a miracle his head and spine are clear."

Drawing in a deep breath to steady herself, Arizona turned to the sinks to scrub. God forbid, but if it was Sofia that needed surgery she would want Bailey doing it. The least she could do for her friend was give her son the best of her abilities like she knew Bailey would do if the tables were turned. She was an awesome surgeon. Callie was an awesome surgeon. They could do this.

"We can do this," Callie said as she joined her at the sink and started her own preparations. "It's Bailey, though…"

"I know," agreed Arizona in a whisper. "But if we were the worried parents I know she'd do her best for Sof."

"Yeah," said Callie softly, her stomach tightening at the thought.

They got started with Callie fixing bleeders and keeping the field clear for Arizona to put stitches where they were needed. Working together, it was easy to find a rhythm. They didn't have to talk to know what the other was thinking and they worked efficiently and with meticulous care and focus. Arizona was restoring the organs to where they needed to be while Callie set bones when the phone rang on the tray behind them, breaking the quiet suddenly.

"It's Dr. Karev," the nurse read out the screen.

"Put it on speaker," Arizona ordered. "Alex, how's it going?"

"Altman got the lung back up but a guy got impaled on a fence so she had to leave to help Yang and the kid keeps bleeding and I can't find the leak," he said, voice strained.

"Okay, it's okay," she said, closing her eyes briefly as she tried to concentrate. "You checked the liver and kidneys?"

"Yeah, boss."

Breathing deeply, she stared into the body she was working on. "Okay, and no bleeders that you can find? Did you run the bowel? The first time she was here, wasn't it for something intestinal?" She couldn't remember details, there had been a lot of patients since then and Karev had done the surgery himself.

"Okay, there's a small tear, but nothing that should be making her bottom out like this," he said, still anxious.

"Take a breath, it's okay," she coached him patiently. "Think. You can do this, Alex. I wouldn't have left if I didn't know you could do it."

"You left because that lady's an idiot and Bailey's kid needs you," he shot back, nerves getting the better of him.

Callie met Arizona's eyes and the blonde sighed. She wasn't going to hold it against him. "Kepner pulled a splinter of bone out from behind the pancreas. Check around the portal vein," suggested Callie.

They could both hear his sigh of relief and Arizona sent a grateful look across the table. If they weren't busy saving another child, she could kiss her right now. Instead she had to limit herself to brushing fingers as she moved Tuck's liver back where it was supposed to be and Callie checked the integrity of his ribs.

"Thanks," Alex said gruffly through the phone.

"Keep the line open," requested Arizona. "Tell me what you're looking at." She wasn't in his OR but it didn't mean she couldn't still teach him.

Physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted by the time they were finished, Arizona scrubbed out and found Alex waiting in the OR hallway. His surgery had been a success but he was clearly still frustrated that she'd been kept out of it. "Boss…"

"Don't worry about it," she advised him, rolling her shoulders and resting her hands on her hips. "You pulled it off and you called for help when you needed it. You did good. I'm proud of you."

That earned her a smirking smile and their elbows bumped deliberately as she turned. Callie joined them and the three started toward the waiting room. Mrs. Simpson had had her head wound bandaged and she rose from her seat at the same time that Bailey turned toward them, still in her scrubs and pacing.

Patting Alex on the shoulder, Arizona followed him, leaving Callie to reassure Bailey. Whether their patient's mother liked it or not she was still the head of Peds. She let Alex do the talking this time, though. "Your daughter's injuries were extensive, and the best surgeons available in the state to help were sidelined," he said pointedly, Arizona clearing her throat beside him. "But a team of residents and I made the repairs under their supervision, so whether you like it or not, you still owe your daughter's life to them."

"Dr. Karev, walk away _now_," Arizona ordered sharply, grateful for his support but not needing his attitude to get him suspended. "I'll talk to you later, Alex," she insisted when he shot her a look. Mrs. Simpson looked distraught when Arizona met her eyes without flinching. "Ma'am, your daughter came through her surgery but we'll need to keep an eye on her for a few days to make sure there are no complications from her very intense procedure." She was utterly cool and professional. "I'll have a nurse come get you whenever you can go see her."

Turning on her heels, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before crossing the waiting room to where Callie was talking to Bailey. She couldn't have been more surprised when her friend immediately pulled her down to her level and threw both arms around her neck in a hug. "Arizona, I don't - I can't thank you enough…"

Patting her friend's back lightly, Arizona sighed and nodded. "Bailey, of course. You'd do the same for us if it was Sofia." It still made her guts clench to think about.

The shorter woman was wiping tears from her face as Arizona leaned back, Callie's hand finding hers and winding their fingers together. "Of course. Because I want the best for my child the way I know you do too. And the best is you, but if you can't have you, you want me," she declared, a hint of her usual confidence coming through in her voice.

Arizona just gave her a look, surprised. "Um, not that I'm not glad to hear that, but what was that about…?"

"That _woman_ was listening," said Miranda, still wiping her eyes and drying her fingers on her scrub pants. "Wanted her to know that she made a mistake. Even if her kid is going to be fine, it's because of you two."

"The Chief told you about that?" she asked, glancing sideways at Callie. They normally stayed out of the rumor mill around the hospital, being a stable, happily married couple, but this could put them right back in the mix if it got spread around. To say nothing of their medical reputations.

"He did," Bailey confirmed. "But I won't say anything to anybody. None of their damn business." She scoffed. "I had a patient refuse to let me operate on him because I'm black," she told them. "I'm sorry for him, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's on his head if he decides he doesn't want the best for himself," she declared firmly. "And it's on hers if she refuses the best for her daughter." She nodded toward the seated Mrs. Simpson, the stranger's eyes lingering on them.

Callie smiled, wrapping an arm around their friend's shoulders. "Come on, let's go check on Little Tuck." Bailey could be harsh on her students sometimes, particularly ones who screwed up, but there really was no better friend someone could ask for.

They left Bailey with her son when the Chief signaled them from the hallway, joining him outside of the recovery room. "Sir, I don't know what you heard, yes, Karev did get a little _short_ with Mrs. Simpson, but…"

"Dr. Robbins," he interjected, deep voice almost amused. "Dr. Karev is not in trouble. And neither of you have anything to defend yourselves about. You handled a tricky situation as smoothly as was possible while abiding with a patient's request." His arms were across his chest but he looked calm. "How's Bailey's son?"

"He's going to be watched like a hawk, so I'm sure he'll be fine," Callie commented, smiling at their fellow surgeon's protective 'Mama Bear' persona. "And Kelly Simpson's going to be fine too, right?"

Dr. Webber nodded to them both. "I did her post-op exams myself. That was good work you all did in there. The Simpsons should have no reason to be upset. And you'll congratulate your residents for me, won't you?"

"Sure thing," Arizona answered him, smirking. "Thank you again for your discretion with the situation."

He sighed, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Of course. Though, speaking for myself, I'd just as soon they go to Seattle Pres next time their daughter is in an accident," he confessed. "If they're willing to settle for lesser surgeons, they should just go to a lesser hospital, don't you agree?"

Callie couldn't help chuckling, surprised by his candor. Even Arizona's smirk became a laughing grin. "I guess that's a good point, sir. You should suggest that to them, maybe."

"Maybe I will," he agreed, giving her shoulder another squeeze. "If you'll excuse me, doctors. Very good work today, both of you."

Arizona leaned into Callie's side as they watched him go, not entirely professional posture but nothing scandalous either, and sighed. "We're a good team."

Callie's tone was dry as she replied, "Of course we are. We already knew that." She didn't resist wrapping an arm around Arizona's shoulders, turning her head in to rest against blonde hair. It was distinctly less professional, but still chaste contact. "Are you tired? Because I'm tired and I didn't run two surgeries at the same time. Which I found very hot, by the way. You're sexy when you're being all bossy."

"Oh yeah?" asked Arizona with a laugh. "I'm sexy when I boss people around?"

"Yes," Callie confirmed simply, smiling to herself as she felt Arizona's arm slip under her lab coat to curl around her waist. "You're sexy, period, actually."

The blonde's head fell back as she laughed and she pecked a kiss under her wife's jaw. "Okay then, does it do anything for you if I tell you that we're going to go get Sofia from the daycare and then we're going to stop and pick up a pizza on the way home? No discussion."

"Oh baby, you are turning me on!" Callie answered with a laugh of her own. Arizona used her arm to turn them away from the recovery room and toward the locker room. "But is it really bossing me around if you're going to drive, so _you'll _be the one picking up the pizza?"

A hand slipped down to squeeze her ass, the contact hidden behind the tails of the Latina's lab coat. "You can call and order it, Calliope. And carry the diaper bag," she added, ruining the bossy effect by giggling.

"Stop, please, it's too much," Callie laughingly pleaded, jumping when the hand on her butt pinched sharply.

Feeling lighter than she had all day, Arizona snuggled closer into her wife's side. This woman could make her feel good no matter what was bringing her down. It was incredible. And it was a feeling she never wanted to lose. "You just wait until we get home. We'll see how much you can handle," she promised teasingly, biting her lip.


	81. Chapter 68

Arizona picked on her sometimes about her attachment to her phone, but not even her (surprisingly clean) game of Words With Friends against Mark could keep her attention when she stepped up to her front door and heard the crunch of glass under her foot. Frowning, she looked up from her phone to see that the glass pane that made up the top half of the door had been shattered, a large hole in the bottom corner.

Alex came jogging up the driveway behind her, having gone back to the car to get his jacket, and he didn't immediately notice why she hadn't already opened the door. "Torres, what's…?" Trailing off as he saw the glass, he guided her backwards with both hands. "You call the cops, I'm going to check it out," he said, moving her deliberately behind him.

A hand on his arm stopped him. "Alex…"

Her voice was hoarse, choked suddenly, and he frowned at her. "What? What's up?"

"Arizona…" she had to stop, swallow the rock that it felt had suddenly appeared in her throat, "She and Sofia, they should have been here hours ago…" They were in a stretch where it felt like they were working opposite schedules and Arizona had worked all night and clocked out after lunch, taking Sofia home with her, while Callie had been scheduled until after dinner. But the house was dark and quiet. "Alex…"

He glanced behind him at the house and dug in the pocket of his jeans for his phone, searching the contact list for a second. "You call the cops," he repeated, pressing his own phone to his ear and blinking when his boss' cell went straight to voicemail. They were surgeons - they never just turned their phones _off._ "I'm calling Tim," he promised when Callie's expression fell. "Stay here," he told her again, forcing her to stay against the short privacy wall that hid the front door from street view. "Dude, where's your sister?" he asked as he nudged the front door further open and flicked the lights on.

Callie explained the situation to the police, including her absent wife and daughter, and they promised to send a car over as soon as possible. As soon as her phone was disconnected from that call, she was calling Arizona's phone, anxiety only increasing when she heard the blonde's voice calmly, even cheerfully, say, "You've reached Dr. Arizona Robbins. I can't answer the phone right now but if you'll leave a name and a number, I'll call you back as soon as I can. Thank you and have a nice day!"

Cursing under her breath and fighting the urge to burst into tears, Callie slumped back against the wall. She could deal with losing possessions, _things_, but she was going to lose her mind if something had happened to Arizona or Sofia. Just thinking about it made her want to be sick and cry without stopping.

Alex returned after a few minutes, shaking his head. "They're not here. The house got ransacked though - the TVs, jewelry, the video games." Unconsciously, Callie was fidgeting with the heart pendant on her necklace. They both wore them pretty much daily, as well as their wedding rings. Everything else could be replaced. "You can't reach her?"

"No," Callie answered him, not realizing that she was trembling until Karev guided her off the wall and into a seat on the rocking porch swing. "Alex…" she whispered, pleading. He was only here to go over a case with Arizona. She could have been alone trying to deal with this… Her fingers caught his arm and dug in hard.

"You talked to the cops, right?" he asked instead, knowing that nothing he said or did would make her feel better at the moment.

"Yeah," she said simply. "They're going to send a car over, and they said," a shuddering breath, her control nearing its end, "they said that we should make a list," another ragged breath, "a list of what's missing," a whimper, for all she knew her _wife_, their _baby_ were missing, "and they need a," a hiccup, almost a sob, "a pic-picture of…"

Moving to sit beside her, Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders, surprised when she turned into his chest and held on tight, winding her fingers into his t-shirt. "It's going to be okay," he said gruffly. "They were probably out when it happened, you know?" he offered. "I mean, Robbins is tough. If somebody busted in the front door, you know there'd be teeth or blood where she beat them down with a chair or something," he reasoned in an attempt to be reassuring. It earned him a hoarse, painful sounding chuckle and a weak smile.

"Yeah?" Callie asked, pleading for comfort. It wasn't as if he was wrong though. If Arizona had been there, there would be signs of a fight. She wouldn't let anything happen quietly.

"Of course," confirmed Alex with confidence he didn't entirely feel. "Robbins isn't afraid to fight dirty either."

They could see the police cruiser's lights at the same time that brakes were audible in the driveway and Tim tore around the wall a second later. "Callie…" His own anxiety was in his eyes but his expression was rigidly controlled. "We'll find them," he promised, huffing when she hugged him hard. "Hell, you know if she was here when it happened there'd be more destruction."

"That's what Alex said," Callie gasped out.

Tim guided her head up to meet his eyes while Alex went around them to talk to the police officer. "And hey, you know if she was here when it happened that she would still be here," he told her, voice low. "She would never let anything happen to Sofia. She's probably just at the store or something…"

"They why isn't she answering her phone?" she countered. There was no relaxing until she had her wife and daughter in her arms but she could appreciate him trying. It was his sister, his niece, they were talking about too.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. But Teddy's calling her now too. She freaked when she heard me on the phone with Karev. You guys just came home and it was busted into?"

"Yes. And Arizona got off work in the afternoon and got Sofia from daycare so they should have been home the rest of the day," Callie said. There were a few groceries they needed, but nothing big or urgent that might have warranted a ride to the store. But it wouldn't be unprecedented for Arizona to take Sofia to the park if the weather was nice. And it was drizzling now but it had been clear this afternoon, hadn't it? Trying to remember was making her head pound. And she was definitely nauseous now, her stomach rolling. What was unprecedented was the blonde disregarding her phone.

"I'm sure there's some kind of explanation, Cal," Tim promised, keeping an arm around her. "Come on," he coaxed, guiding her over to the pair of police that were talking to Alex.

"Ma'am, sorry about this, but are you the homeowner?" one of the cops asked, his nameplate identifying him as Officer Johnson.

"Yeah, yes, one of them," answered Callie, grateful for Tim's reassuring presence.

"And you and your husband weren't home at the time of the break-in?" Johnson asked.

Blinking, Callie glanced up at Tim, shaking her head. "Oh, no, this isn't my husband, this is my brother-in-law. My wife's brother," she clarified. "But, no, I wasn't home. My wife should have been though, with our ten month old daughter."

"Have you been able to reach your wife? If something happened maybe she's at the hospital?" he suggested.

It was something she hadn't thought about, but if they had had to go to the hospital, Arizona would have insisted on Seattle Grace. And if they were at Seattle Grace, someone would have called her. Still, she caught Alex's eye and he nodded, already dialing.

"We're doctors at Seattle Grace so she would have gone there," she explained briefly to the officer, hearing Karev grilling whoever was at the ER desk. "I've tried to call her, but her phone's not on for some reason."

"Okay, well, I hope it's not the case, but if someone has taken your daughter, we need to get an alert issued as soon as possible," he said slowly. Tim's arm was the only thing holding Callie on her feet anymore. "Do you have a recent picture we could have?"

Nodding, tears were choking her when she answered, grinding out, "On the fridge. I'll go - I'll…"

"I'll get it," Tim interjected gently. "Which one's the most recent?"

"The one with her and Arizona on the swing," she told him. "We took her to the park last Saturday when it was so nice out…" If she never got to do that again, she would die. She had to hold herself up with a hand against the wall when he left her side.

Blood rushing through her head made it hard to hear but Tim knew all of Sofia's vital details so he took care of answering the questions for her when he returned with the picture for the cop. All the sounds just kind of blended together into an unclear cloud of white noise. But the sound of her name, in _that_ voice, the way only _she_ said it, came through loud and clear. "Calliope, what happened?" Arizona was walking quickly down the sidewalk from the other side, apparently unable to park in the driveway between all the extra vehicles, Sofia happy and noisy on her hip. Apparently forgotten in her other hand was a bouquet of lilies. Spotting the broken door, she cried, "Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Tim spun at his sister's voice, Alex hanging up his phone and spontaneously slumping against the wall of the house. Callie, already feeling lightheaded, slid hard down the wall to the concrete sidewalk, curled her knees to her chest, and let her control snap like a twig, burying her face in the space between her knees and sobbing.

Handing Sofia quickly off to her brother and dropping the flowers, Arizona knelt in front of Callie, more scared by the sight of her tears than she was by the police and the shattered glass. "It's okay," she whispered, not sure what was going on, just that she would make it okay, whatever was wrong. One hand found her wife's face, fingers slipping through dark hair. "Look at me," she coaxed softly. "Look at me, Calliope. Whatever's wrong, I'll fix it, I promise. I'm here." Callie lifted her face and her expression made Arizona's heart break. "What?" she asked desperately. "What happened?"

"You weren't here," Callie gasped between hoarse sobs. Arizona frowned, confused, and Callie was suddenly furious and relieved at the same time. It didn't make sense rationally, but she'd been scared out of her mind and Arizona didn't even know, she didn't get it. So she lashed out, shoving her wife's shoulders hard and sending her tumbling off her knees and onto her butt. "You weren't _here_!"

"What? What did I do?" Arizona yelped, looking up between Alex and Tim for an explanation.

"You weren't here," Tim echoed more softly, leaning over to hand Sofia to a reaching Callie.

Callie snuggled her in tightly, nuzzling her face into her sweet little neck. "What?" Arizona repeated, worried and confused.

"She thought you and Sof were here when the house got broken into and your phone is off or dead or something," Tim whispered to her, bending over to speak into her ear. "Give her a minute."

Realizing exactly what Callie was going through (and flashing back to the sinkhole when she'd been on the other side of overwhelming anxiety over her wife and at that time unborn daughter), Arizona didn't bother righting herself, just crawled back to her family and pulled her wife's knee out of her way so she could wrap her arms around them both. "I'm so, _so_ sorry, Calliope," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry!"

Stepping back from them, Tim talked briefly with the cops, who happily gave him the picture of Arizona and Sofia back and instructed them to bring a list of the stolen items to the police station as soon as possible so they could get the report for insurance.

The police left and Alex and Tim started sweeping up the broken glass, looking for something to board up the window while Tim called Teddy to let her know that everything was okay, leaving Arizona comforting Callie on the ground outside. They were getting soaked, but neither cared. Arizona had shrugged out of her jacket and wrapped Sofia up in it, the hood keeping her head dry. Sensing her parents' upset, she'd grown squirmy and discontent, whimpering into Callie's chest and clinging to her mother's shirt.

Arizona just constantly whispered reassurances to both wife and baby, scratching her fingers gently through black hair. "I'm so sorry," she whispered for what had to be the thousandth time. "Callie, I didn't know. We're okay. Everybody's okay."

Hugging the blonde's arm to her chest, Callie took a deep breath and used her free hand to wipe sticky remnants of tears from her face. "How come you didn't answer your phone?" she croaked, hating her voice at the moment but unable to help it. "I called you." She squeezed her wife's arm to her chest, dropping her face into the crook of Arizona's arm and kissing her skin. "I called you and Alex called and Tim and Teddy. We must have called you a hundred times, Arizona."

"I know you did, baby, and I'm _so_ sorry," Arizona whispered, kissing the side of her head and rocking them, Callie curled as close to her chest as she could get with Sofia cuddled to her own chest and wrapped in Arizona's jacket. "My phone got killed at work. One of the kids stole it out of my pocket and threw it on the floor. It got crushed under the gurney when we were taking him to surgery." She breathed deeply. "I took Sof out to get a new one but she was fussy when I got her back in the car and I left the phone in the box, I didn't even think about it. And I am _so_ sorry."

"Your phone got killed at work by a kid?" Callie questioned dryly, still sniffling. "What was he having done?"

Arizona laughed, nuzzling in to kiss her cheek. "He really did _not_ want to lose his tonsils," she answered. "I promise, I will never let it happen again. I don't want you to ever have to feel like you can't find us again."

Leaning her head back against the blonde's shoulder, Callie let out a deep breath. "You better not. I hate this. This sucked! I have never been so scared in my life when I thought something could have happened to you two."

Nodding, Arizona kept stroking her hair. "I remember," she whispered, kissing the side of her face again. "Do you forgive me?"

"Arizona," sighed Callie, looking up at her. "There's nothing to forgive. You didn't know the house got robbed and you didn't know I was a freaked out mess…"

"I'd have driven home a lot faster," Arizona assured her lightly. "But very safely," she added when Callie's eyes narrowed. "Do I get any points back for bringing you flowers just because I think you're the best wife and mother in the world?" she wondered, unwinding one hand to search the ground blindly for her abandoned bouquet. She held them up and they both smiled when Sofia reached for the colorful plants.

"That is _not_ why you got them, is it?" asked Callie, laughing quietly. Her wife was like magic, making everything else drop away until it was just them, their family.

Arizona scoffed, pretending offense. "Of course it is! Sofia helped me pick them out! Isn't that right, baby girl? Mami's the best. That's why we got the flowers for Mami!"

"Ma-mi!" Sofia confirmed, her little face going wide-eyed when Callie suddenly pulled her up and started smothering her in kisses. Giggling, she tried to squirm away from the overflow of affection. "Mami!" she yelped again, which didn't help her any, Callie wrapping her up and laughing herself. She didn't the pronunciation right, but it was undeniably directed at her and that made it perfect.

"Oh my God," she breathed, feeling her heart racing. "You heard her, right? She said - she called - she called _me_…"

Arizona was smiling herself, her chin resting lightly on her wife's shoulder. "I heard her. She called you Mami, Calliope," she confirmed, happy tears in her eyes. "She knows you're her Mami."

Turning her head to catch teary blue eyes, Callie leaned up to kiss her jaw. "Arizona," she sighed sympathetically. "She knows who you are. She _loves _you!"

"I know," the blonde whispered. "Happy crying, believe me. I know she does." She smiled genuinely. "Believe me, I know that. Knowing that she loves me and that you love me are the two biggest reasons I get out of bed in the morning."

"She knows her Mama, Arizona."

Arizona's reassurance that she did not only know that, but base her entire life on being 'Mama' to their little girl was cut off by Sofia turning her head to look straight at her. "Mama," she said plainly, jumping when her parents both squealed, Arizona taking her turn to drag the baby to her lips for kisses.

Tim came running at the noise, Alex only a few steps behind him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Sofia, she's…!" Unable to finish through her excitement, Arizona resumed kissing her daughter's sweet, perfect face.

"Mama!" she protested, trying again to wiggle away.

"She's talking?" Tim asked, grinning his dimpled Robbins grin at them. "Since when is she talking?"

"Since about two minutes ago," Callie answered, laughing happily, feeling over the moon and pleased and proud. Her baby was amazing. "Unless, has she said it before? Did I miss it and you just don't want to tell me?" she demanded, turning to look at Arizona's expression. "Did I miss our baby's first words?"

Arizona's mouth dropped open. "No, of course not!" She grinned and laughed. "You were her first word, Calliope," she hummed happily, leaning forward and kissing Callie softly. Both of her wife's hands came up to hold her face and she deepened the kiss immediately.

"Okay, that's our cue to go back inside," Tim said, retreating. "Good job, Sof!" he called to the baby, waving when she grinned at him happily.

Arizona was breathless when the kiss slowed and stopped, licking her lips and pushing wet hair back from her face. "So, that was about equal parts excitement and getting them to finish the cleaning, right?" she asked jokingly, knowing that it was so much more than that - relief and joy, pride, love…


	82. Chapter 69

The doorbell ringing at eleven at night was an inconvenience, the noise dragging Arizona from the edge of falling asleep on the couch. She sat up slowly and groaned. Callie was already up in the kitchen and she waved her partner back to the couch as she went to answer the door.

"Hang on!" she called toward the door when the chime repeated. Sofia was sleeping through the night now and she was not going to be happy if someone woke her up at this hour. Flipping the light switch and opening the door, she couldn't help gaping. "Oh my God, what happened?"

Alex was leaning heavily against a younger man, one arm around his supporter's shoulder while his other arm and head were hanging toward the ground. "He lives here, doesn't he, ma'am?" the stranger asked, drawling accent surprising her. "This was the address on his license."

"Yeah, he did, just bring him in…" She moved outside to get Alex's other arm over her shoulder. "Who are you?" she questioned, bracing herself to support him on her own.

"I'm Aaron Karev, ma'am. Alex is my big brother," he answered politely. Now that he mentioned it, she could definitely see the resemblance. "Let me help you get him inside and I'll get our of your hair. I know it's late, and he could have just slept in my truck normally, but it's a full house in there at the moment."

Callie glanced over her shoulder and spotted the tractor trailer rig parked out on the street in front of her house. "Yeah, sure, let's go." They moved in tandem and she led them toward the couch, Arizona already moved out of the way for them to deposit her protégé on the sofa.

Alex grunted when they let him slide onto his side, stretching his legs out. "What happened to him?" asked Arizona, concerned. Callie had to smile when her wife's mothering instinct led her to kneel next to the couch and push her student's beanie off his head and check his forehead with the back of a hand, his pulse in his neck.

She jumped when he squirmed away from her, grumbling unintelligibly. "Robbins…"

Obliging him, the blonde sat back on her heels and looked up at the younger man who was scratching his own short hair. "Is he drunk?" she asked, familiar with her longtime roommate's drinking persona.

"He's had a long night, ma'am," the younger Karev answered her in his slow drawl. "And Alex told me he lived with married women, but I'm sorry about the inconvenience." He nodded to Callie. "I sort of expected one of your husbands to answer the door being that it's so late, and help me with Alex…"

"Aaron," Alex growled, stopping him. "They're married, y'idiot."

"I know! You told me…" replied Aaron, not getting it.

Arizona was smirking and cleared her throat lightly. "He means to each other," she clarified. "There are no husbands."

The younger man blinked, considering that for a moment. "You know, now a lot of the stuff he said makes a lot more sense," he noted, smiling sheepishly at them both. "I beg your pardon, ladies."

"No problem," Callie said with a laugh, leaning over the back of the sofa to swat the back of Alex's head. "You're not so drunk that you're going to sleep on the deathtrap are you?" He just grunted and didn't move.

"And did you say you were sleeping in a truck?" Arizona asked. "Because any family of Alex's is welcome here." She'd only found out he had siblings after having known him for a few years, and even after she found out, he never talked about his family.

"And it looks like Alex isn't going to be using his old room, so you can take the bed," offered Callie.

Aaron scratched at the back of his head again, searching for the right answer. "I appreciate that, ma'am, but I've got my sister out in the truck, so I should probably stay with her."

Blinking in surprise, Arizona shook her head. "Aaron, no, please, you're both welcome. Don't sleep in the car. Your sister can have Alex's room and we'll make you up a bed down here, alright?"

"Do it, dumbass," Alex growled, belatedly picking his head up to make sure Sofia wasn't in hearing range. Arizona _and_ Callie would kill him if he accidentally taught their daughter her first curse word. Though he'd personally be kind of impressed if she could manage that particular one.

Arizona gave him a swat to the head anyway and Aaron grinned. "In that case, we'd be much obliged for the hospitality. Thank you." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing toward the door. "I guess I'll just go get Amber?" he checked, moving when Callie gave him a reassuring smile.

He was quickly back on the porch, a duffle bag on a strap across his chest and a young teenage girl asleep in his arms. "Alex's room is just up here," Callie said in a whisper, leading them upstairs while Arizona chatted quietly with her protégé. "Bathroom's the second door down there on the right," she said as they reached the top of the stairs. "And this is our daughter's room, so if you hear a baby crying, that's just her."

"Yes, ma'am," Aaron said, nodding as he carried his sister into his brother's old bedroom and put her in bed.

Callie was eyeing him as he exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him gently so he wouldn't wake her. "Are you sure you're Alex's brother?" she asked curiously. "Because you're very…" she searched for a word for a second, "polite…" she decided. "And Alex is… not that way."

He just grinned and she saw the resemblance again. The Karev brothers were both handsome and charming, but Aaron appeared to have a self-deprecation instinct that his surgeon brother did not have. "We grew up different, that's all. Alex had to look after us and it changed him."

That was not something she'd known about Alex in spite of having lived with him for several years. Not only did he have younger siblings, but he'd been responsible for them. "Yeah? Let's see if he can talk his way out of babysitting again!" she declared to lighten the mood, following him back downstairs to find Arizona in the process of making up a makeshift bed on the floor for their guest. Alex appeared to already be snoring on the couch.

Aaron insisted that he was fine for the night after they showed him where the kitchen was with instructions to help himself to anything and the two went back upstairs to their own bedroom. Arizona was quiet, though, thoughtful.

Callie didn't question her about it until they had checked on Sofia and were sliding into their own bed. The blonde slipped into her familiar spot being the little spoon, breathing deeply when Callie nuzzled into her neck. "Did Alex tell you why his family's here?"

"Not really," Arizona whispered. "He seems sad about it, almost, though."

"Well, he did go out and get drunk the same day they got here," Callie reasoned. "Aaron said Karev looked after them growing up. Did you know that?"

Sighing, Arizona nestled deeper into the pillow, burrowing herself further into the protective frame of Callie's arms and body. "He doesn't talk about home much. He had a rough go of it as a kid." She knew more than that, but it wasn't her story to tell and Alex was a private person and wouldn't appreciate her blabbing, even to Callie, so she kept her mouth shut.

The smell of breakfast was already in the air when they woke, Callie peeking curiously around the banister as she carried Sofia down the stairs. Alex was still sprawled on the couch and she'd peeked her head in on Amber, who was still sleeping. Aaron gave her a sheepish smile as they entered the kitchen, flipping an omelet on the stove.

"Good morning, ma'am," he drawled. "I don't know - but you said - sorry if I…"

"Aaron, it's okay," Callie said with a laugh, settling Sofia in her high chair. The younger Karev brother really was different than Alex. It was amazing. "We told you to make yourself at home. And that smells incredible, honestly."

He grinned, winking. "Then it's yours." Callie started to protest but he just slid it onto a plate and handed it to her. "I know my brother and my sister pretty well, they won't miss it."

Finding a small plastic bowl in the cabinet, Callie put her plate down to make a bowl of cereal up for Sofia, the baby more than happy with dumping it out on her tray and chasing the Cheerios around with both hands to shove them in her mouth.

"She's mighty cute," Aaron observed. "How old is she?"

"Thank you. Almost a year," answered Callie with a proud smile. Her baby was adorable. "Less playing, more eating, sweetie," she coached Sofia, combing fingers through her little brown ringlets and sitting down beside her seat with the omelet. "Oh my God, this is fantastic, Aaron, thank you!" she said as she took her first bite.

He gave her another charming grin. "Happy to," Aaron said. "Does your wife eat omelets? I can make something else."

"She loves breakfast of any kind, but you don't have to…"

"Does she have a favorite?" he interjected, cracking eggs into a bowl.

Arizona was happy to accept her omelet, pecking Sofia on the top of her head as the little girl chattered "Mama" at her. "Good morning, my angel," the blonde said cheerfully. "Other angel," she said to Callie, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Aaron," she added, still chipper. "I hope you didn't sleep too badly on the floor."

"Oh, no, ma'am, it was great," Aaron offered eagerly. "I normally sleep in my truck, so it was nice to be somewhere with a steady temperature."

"You drive a truck?" asked Callie.

Aaron was regaling them with stories about driving his tractor trailer when Alex joined them, scratching his head and tousling Sofia's hair when she shrieked, happy to see him. "Okay, kiddo, not so loud," he requested gruffly. "Uncle Alex is hung over."

"Unk!" Sofia chimed in, volume still loud.

Arizona called her name as a distraction and Alex shuffled to the coffeemaker, pouring himself a cup and burning his throat on the hot black coffee. "You slept here?" he asked his brother brusquely.

Nodding, Aaron handed him a plate loaded with an omelet and bacon. "Amber's upstairs in your room."

His sister's name made Alex's spine go stiff and he put his plate down on the table with a clatter. "You said she's…" Aaron nodded and the older Karev sighed and sat down in his chair, glancing at Arizona, who was politely ignoring the family discussion. "Dr. Robbins…"

That got her eyes on him, not used to hearing her professional name in their house. "Dr. Karev?"

"Dr. Robbins, Aaron told me that our sister Amber might need surgery, but you know how much they don't pay me, and Aaron takes care of our mom…"

"Alex, stop," Arizona requested, smiling at him. "I make the budget for Peds, remember? We'll take care of it." Her expression sobered, blue eyes moving between the brothers. "But if she needs surgery, you should have said something last night. Should she be in the hospital?"

Aaron shook his head quickly. "Oh, no, it's not urgent or anything," he spoke up. "It's just weird."

"Weird in what way?" asked Arizona curiously, brows furrowing as she sipped her orange juice.

"It's her, you know, her…" he gestured toward his own stomach, pulling his shirt up to reveal his bellybutton and pointing to it, "She used to be an innie but now she's an outie. It's all poked out and like a pool ball sticking out of her stomach."

"It sounds like an abdominal hernia," Alex said. "I didn't look, she was sleeping when I met up with them last night, but she could go in to work with us, right? And you could…"

The blonde nodded, finishing her juice. "It's fine, Alex," she interjected lightly, wiggling her fingers at Sofia and prompting a round of happy giggles from her daughter. The baby really never stopped smiling or laughing. It was amazing. "We'll take care of it." She shot him a look. "Well, not you, you can't help, obviously, but I'll take care of her. You trust me, right?"

"Boss, sure I trust you!" he protested, gaping at her. "It's just the money, and…"

"It's not about the money, Alex," Arizona cut him off again. "Don't worry about the money. It's called pro bono, remember? You lived in my house, we've been friends for a long time, Karev. And it's your sister. So don't talk about the money, okay?" She smirked, gently wiping slobbery cereal from Sofia's face. "If you really think you have to make it up to me, you can babysit next week."

Rolling his eyes, Alex sent a smirk toward Callie. "What, you got a date or something?"

"Not yet," Arizona said cheerfully when Callie just shrugged at her protégé. "Because I haven't asked. Calliope, would you go on a date with me? You're off on Tuesday night, aren't you? We could try that new sushi place Mark mentioned at lunch the other day."

Glancing at Aaron and Alex, Callie smiled almost shyly. They were in their own home, in front of their friend who knew exactly how they were, but her wife asking her out, being charming and sweet and thoughtful and cute, it made her blush nonetheless.

"I'm not hearing an answer, boss," Alex noted after a moment, smirking.

Arizona grinned playfully as well. "You're right, Karev…"

"Arizona, I absolutely want to go on a date with you on Tuesday!" interjected Callie quickly, rolling her eyes at the pair of them. "I was just surprised. But of course I will go out with you. Moron," she added, voice warm. Standing up slightly, she leaned forward across the table and took a quick kiss. "My turn in the shower. Are we riding in together?"

"Definitely," Arizona hummed in agreement. "We'll wait for you."

Alex wiped his mouth but left his plate on the table. "I'll head in now and start rounds, and Aaron and Amber can come in later?"

Smiling, Arizona picked up his plate as well as her own and Callie's. "Calm down, Karev. It's fine. Let her sleep in if she wants to. You know what we've got on the board for today." She pinned him with a look as Aaron passed her to clean up his bed in the living room and Callie went upstairs to shower and get ready for work, leaving them alone in the kitchen. "Are you going to be able to work today?" she asked him seriously.

Alex sighed, arms crossing his chest. "You know I send money home and stuff, but I'm not - my family, we're not… close. I haven't even seen Amber since she was six, maybe. I'm not emotional."

Studying him, Arizona took a slow, deep breath. "It's not bad to be emotional, Alex," she reminded him gently. "No surgery today," his mouth fell open to protest and she continued, "Seriously. Consult, do charts, hang out in the cafeteria with your brother, but don't even think about doing any procedures or going near an OR. Am I clear?" He glared at her but nodded. "Good, thank you."

"Who are you going to use?"

Arizona cocked an eyebrow at him. "Who do you want me to use? I don't think I'll need an assist on an abdominal hernia, but you pick a resident for your sister's case and I'll get them," she promised.

"Little Grey," Alex decided after a few moments of consideration. She was a year behind his class of residents but she was meticulous and careful, a good surgeon.

Arizona nodded calmly, able to see how much he really was affected on his face. They had known each other for a long time, after all. "Consider it done," she promised, patting his arm as she moved around him to release a chattering Sofia from her high chair.

She was in the doorway when he spoke again from behind her, "Thank you, boss."

Alex's affectedness was more obvious when he was pacing around the double doors of the OR hall where Callie caught him, smirking sideways at him as she checked her own entry on the board. "You ever seen a rod put into a femur?" she asked him conversationally, tempted to needle him about his obvious anxiety but having mercy.

It took him a second to shake his head, distracted. "No, I don't think so. Is that what you did with Tim?"

"Nothing so extensive." She pinched the sleeve of his scrubs and dragged him through the doors. "Come on, you're going to observe."

"Robbins told me to stay away from the OR."

Callie just smirked at him over her shoulder. "That's why you're standing around just _outside_ of the OR?" she noted sarcastically. "Come on. It's not like you're operating, you're just going to be observing. She won't get mad."

"And if she does, she can get mad at you," countered Alex as she continued dragging him along.

Scoffing, Callie smacked the chart to his chest. "Like that's going to happen."

She was almost done with her surgery when she heard his sigh of relief beside her and she glanced up into the gallery to find Arizona watching. The blonde triggered the intercom and Alex couldn't help jumping when her voice came from on high, "Karev, I thought I was pretty clear this morning when I said no surgery." She didn't sound upset, merely amused.

"Torres dragged me in here," he answered her defensively. "Be pissed at her!"

"I'm not pissed at anyone," Arizona promised, her words backed up by Sofia laughing in the background where she was crawling around the gallery. "I was just going to tell you that Amber's procedure went perfectly and she's in recovery. Do you want me to tell Aaron, or can Dr. Torres spare you?" She looked down when little hands tugged on her loose scrub pants, Sofia endeavoring to pull herself up onto her feet.

"Mama!"

A few of the interns watching and studying in the gallery looked at the little girl with varying looks of amusements and annoyance. Arizona obligingly picked her up, huffing in exaggeration at the weight of her. "You're getting to be such a big girl, my baby," she cooed, pointing her toward the large window. "Look down there. Who's that, Sofia?"

Spotting the dark red pattern of her mother's cap, Sofia gave an eager, excited wriggle, her face breaking out in a wide smile. "Mami! Mami!"

Callie leaned her head back, smile hidden by her mask. "Hey, beautiful," she called up without removing her hands from the leg she had just finished rebuilding. "I'm almost done, but Alex, you go give your brother the good news, alright?" He was already moving toward the sliding door. "I can take her after this if you've got a few minutes to wait on me to close."

"I've got time for lunch too," Arizona assured her, smiling. "Take your time."

Eating in the cafeteria with Sofia was always a fun experience, the little girl soaking up the attention she got from her parents' friends and coworkers. And Arizona smiled and laughed at their daughter's antics when it was appropriate, but Callie could see that something was diminishing her mood. Of course, she'd just performed surgery on one of her best friend's sister. That was bound to be nerve-wracking.

That didn't stop her from nudging her knee against her wife's, Sofia sitting on her other leg and grinning at anyone who looked her way. She was going to be _quite_ the charmer when she was just a little older and could use those dimples knowingly. "Hey, you okay?" Callie whispered, rubbing her hand down the top of her partner's thigh and squeezing her knee lightly. "I know it had to be rough, operating on Alex's sister, but I know you did awesome," it got a genuine smile from the blonde, "but you still kind of seem… down or something. Is everything alright?"

Arizona sighed and the sound was heavy. "I just - I feel bad for Amber. And for Aaron. They don't have easy lives. From what she said, they all bounced around in foster care and now Aaron's her guardian and he drives the truck, so she's pretty much on her own most nights taking care of their mom."

Frowning, Callie rubbed her leg again. "That's terrible." Sofia laughed happily when she saw Bailey across the room. "Well, Amber will be here for a few days in recovery, right? You can keep an eye on them." Aaron didn't seem like the type to leave his kid sister sitting around the hospital by herself. Arizona made a noise of agreement, her eyes focused on the top of Sofia's head as she bounced her knee. "What are you worried about, sweetheart?"

"I don't know, exactly," confessed Arizona with another sigh. "It's just - I know they're doing what they have to do, and Alex helps as much as he can, but it still feels wrong to just…"

Callie's hand slipped up to her wife's hair, using blonde locks to guide her head down for a kiss. "You're a mother, Arizona. That's what this is. And how Alex and his brother and sister grew up, it was tough. You and I, we can't imagine it," she followed Arizona's gaze to their daughter, "And Sofia never will either. We're here for her. And, God forbid, but if something happened and we weren't, you know Tim and Teddy would take care of her, or your parents. Our family would never let her go away, you know that. She would be taken care of, Arizona," she promised, taking a guess at what parallels her partner might be drawing.

Nodding, Arizona leaned forward and kissed the top of her baby's head, hand that wasn't on her tummy stroking soft brown curls back. "I know that," she whispered. "Mama loves you, Sofia."

Hearing her name, the baby looked around. "Mama!" Giggling, she fell back against the blonde's abdomen and kicked her legs. "Luvoo," she cooed, one of the newest additions to her growing repertoire of words, shrieking when Arizona leaned over to fake gnawing at her stomach. "Mama!"

The Peds surgeon was laughing as she sat back up, her expression relaxed and happy. "Our baby is the _best_," she declared, not for the first time.

"Yeah, she is," agreed Callie, voice hoarse with feeling. And she was the magic cure for whatever upset either of her mothers. "And it sucks for those Karev kids, it really does, but do you think Alex would do anything but stop speaking to us if we offered to help?" Arizona's mouth turned down at the corners. Even on his best days Alex was sensitive about seeming to owe anyone anything. And if they suggested his brother and sister might need help, he might not speak to them for a month.

"All we can do is keep an eye on them?" Arizona checked, sighing. Callie just arched an eyebrow at her. "Fine. Can we at least make sure we have Aaron's number before they leave? I want to check on them once they're gone."

Nodding reassuringly, Callie rubbed her shoulders gently. "Of course." She kissed the side of her wife's head, Sofia still laughing and squirming on Arizona's lap. "You know, I know you hate when I say this, but the way you and Alex-"

Arizona groaned to cut her off, shooting a narrow blue glare at her. "Don't say it, Calliope," she started warningly.

Laughing, Callie stole a kiss to her cheek. "It's sweet, that's all. It's not a bad thing, baby." Her fingers played in the loose blonde hair falling over her partner's shoulders. "You take such good care of me and Sof. It's just sweet…"

Arizona gave her a smile. "What? You think I'm not sweet to anyone but you and Sofia?" she asked teasingly. "I'll have you know that I'm sweet to fully… half a dozen people who aren't my wife and daughter."

Bumping her with an elbow, Callie chuckled and returned to her lunch, offering a soft baby cracker from Sofia's lunch for the little girl to gnaw on with her one and only tooth. "Aren't we lucky to be chosen, Sofia? We're happy Mama's sweet to us, aren't we, baby girl?" A gleeful giggle was her answer. "Just like she's sweet to Uncle Alex," Callie smugly added before the blonde could protest.


	83. Chapter 70

Alex didn't look up from their patient in the NICU as Arizona entered in her own pink gown. "How's she doing?" They were caring for a micro-preemie born at twenty-four weeks after her mother had gone through the windshield of a car during an accident.

"Her weight is up, but she's still not breathing as well as I'd like," he said, listening to the tiny baby's chest through his stethoscope.

Sighing, Arizona nodded, taking the chart off the top of the protective plastic enclosure and checking his notes. "Are we worried about the lung collapsing?"

"At this point, aren't we worried about everything?" Alex countered, his voice heavy.

Arizona met his eyes, holding back another sigh. He was right. There were too many things they had to worry about right now. And he had worries of his own back in Iowa now that his brother and sister had gone home, but he was a good doctor. A great doctor, even. She liked to think she had a little something to do with that. "Alright, then what are our options, Dr. Karev?"

He took a moment to consider and listed the most likely solutions they had at this stage. "But I guess we should talk to the parents before we do anything…" She fell into step beside him as he left the NICU and handed the chart back to him, smiling when he sent her a surprised look.

"She's your patient, Alex. I'm here if you need me, but you're the one who's been talking to the family," Arizona reminded him. And he was an awesome surgeon, good hands and quick thinking, but talking to the parents still made him freeze up or say stupid things sometimes.

"Okay," he said, nerves restrained in his voice.

Arizona bumped him with an elbow lightly, breaking the tension. "Hey, so you're still good to keep Sofia for us tonight, right?"

He sent her a surprised look. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Arizona reached forward to push the button to open the powered sliding doors and let them out of the NICU, following him out. She was never up on the hospital gossip. Without Alex, Teddy, and Callie, she'd be completely out of the loop.

Karev sent her a sideways smirk. "The Chief's niece missed her prom last night and he's punishing some crazy cabal of interns by making them recreate it in the lobby." His boss just looked confused, eyebrows rising in question. "Attendance is mandatory," he added with a shrug. "But, I mean, he knows you've got a kid at home, I'm sure he'd let you out of it."

He sounded almost envious and Arizona frowned thoughtfully. "Have you got a date?"

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "The whole thing is lame. I wouldn't waste a decent chick on it."

"So you use Sofia to get out of it and I'll ask Callie to the prom," suggested Arizona with a sudden dimpled smile. Alex looked incredulously at her and she laughed. "What?"

"You're going to ask your wife to go to the cheesy hospital prom?" he asked in disbelief. "You do remember how hot Callie is, right?"

Arizona slugged his shoulder swiftly. "Hey! I know exactly how gorgeous my wife is, Karev. We all know I'll have the hottest date there, of course. It goes without saying. And we were going out anyway, but you don't want to go to the prom thing and I think it could be kind of fun."

"But is Torres going to think it'll be fun?" asked Alex, shooting her a look as they turned the corner to where their patient's parents were waiting in their exam room.

She didn't have a chance to ponder that until later in the day, finding Callie completely coincidentally in the hallway. The Ortho surgeon was distracted, but still caught her arm. "Dr. Robbins, hey." She was being trailed by a few interns and she quickly shooed them away with instructions to collect test results for her.

"Dr. Torres," Arizona answered her greeting and gave her a cheerful grin. She spared a glance over her shoulder for the retreating interns before gripping the sides of her wife's lab coat and pulled her closer gently. "I've been looking for you. I need to ask you something…"

Callie's expression fell abruptly. "Oh, please don't say we're not going out tonight, because today has totally _sucked_, and I've been looking forward to-"

Arizona laughed and Callie groaned. "No, no, baby. Calliope, no!" She tried a hopeful grin. "I wanted to ask you - would you go to the prom with me?"

Brown eyes blinked in clear surprise, a smile growing on full lips. "The Chief's thing tonight? You want to go?"

"I do if you do," Arizona answered her with a shrug, bobbing her eyebrows. "Alex is looking for a way out of going, so he'll keep Sofia like we planned, and we can get dinner and dress up and if you hate this idea, I swear, we will give the Chief some line and Alex can keep Sofia and I still have reservations at that French place you wanted to try." Callie groaned again and Arizona winced, anticipating a bad reaction. "What? Calliope, we will do anything you want!"

"I want fancy French food, but I _so_ want to see you in a dress at the cheesy as hell prom, too!" Callie declared, grumbling. Arizona's grin was completely charming, blue eyes melting her. She would do anything with this woman. And unprofessional or not, she couldn't help kissing her swiftly, retreating before anyone could spot their doctors kissing.

Arizona laughed, licking her lips. "How about I call and change our reservation? Maybe I can get Tim and Teddy to keep Sofia some night next week and we could go for the French food then?" she offered sweetly, twisting Callie gently from side to side by her coat. White teeth gnawed on her bottom lip teasingly. "Calliope Torres, would you please do me the honor of letting me escort you to the prom tonight?" Arizona asked, not faking the note of hope in her voice. They were married, happily, and mothers to a one year old, but that didn't mean she couldn't romance her wife.

Callie's smile told her she'd done well. "Arizona, of course." It was her turn for a smirk. "Unless you think Meredith would let me have Derek for the night. You know, put that hair on top of a tux…"

Arizona's blue eyes narrowed and she promptly jerked her wife into her arms for a firm, less professional kiss. "Derek Shepherd might have the hair, Calliope," she whispered into the minute gap between their lips. She could acknowledge the impressiveness of his hair. She had eyes. "But ask yourself this… Does his ass do anything for you?"

"Um…" The short answer to that was _hell_ no.

Leaving her to ponder that, Arizona released her coat and took a long step back, regaining their professional distance. "Dr. Torres," she said cheerfully, turning quickly on her heel and walking away.

And Callie could only cock her head and watch. Arizona won that round handily. Nothing could compete with her wife's ass. Or legs, or breasts, or eyes, or hell, she'd even give Arizona 'Best Hair' if it came down to it. And it would be inappropriate to wolf whistle at a doctor in the hospital, wouldn't it? They were professionals and catcalling down the hall after her wife was not professional behavior. She'd just stare like an idiot and try not to drool. It was less obvious than whistling, at least.

She didn't resist that impulse when they were at home, entering their bedroom to see Arizona attempting to zip a wine red floor length dress behind herself. The blonde jumped when she heard the noise of appreciation from the far side of the room. "I've never seen this dress before," Callie commented, crossing her arms as she considered her beautiful wife. "Did you get a new dress for the prom?"

Laughing, Arizona shook her head and gathered her hair with both hands. "No, it's an old bridesmaid dress. A friend from college got married our senior year. Will you zip me?"

Callie obliged, drawing the zipper up. She would definitely appreciate unzipping it later. "How did you get so lucky to have _not _terrible bridesmaid dresses?" She kissed the side of her neck as she finished, sliding both hands down her partner's sides. "And I kind of hate you for still fitting into your dress after years and years," she teased, chuckling.

The blonde swatted the hand at her hip sharply, rolling her eyes. "Oh shut up. You are more gorgeous every single day, Calliope Torres!" She leaned her head back and kissed under her jaw. "You are beautiful."

"So are you," Callie replied promptly.

"Thank you," murmured the blonde, corners of her mouth curling. Turning under her wife's hands, Arizona smiled when the grip on her hips slid around to her butt. Subtle, Callie, really subtle. "And I cannot wait to see what you're going to wear to the prom. Are there any old prom dresses hiding in the closet?"

The laugh she got was an answer in itself. "Um, _no_. Those all got left in Miami and hopefully got thrown out after I got cut off," declared Callie.

"But your parents might have pictures, right?" Arizona asked curiously.

"Oh my God," Callie swatted her ass and let her go, "There's something wrong with you. Prom dresses are historically terrible when you look back at them. And trust me, my hair was awful back then. I don't want you to be able to picture me like that," she started searching their closet for her own dress for the prom, "It's bad enough you've got me doing this at all," she teased, leaning around the closet door to shoot a smirk at Arizona.

The blonde scoffed. "Hey, I offered you four-star French food. You picked the mandatory hospital prom, babe. No complaining." She experimented with hairstyles in front of the mirror, silently wondering why she was bothering about her hair for a work event. Then Callie crossed the room in her underwear and she remembered suddenly. It was because that beautiful woman was her wife, was going to be on her arm.

Not having any old bridesmaid dresses to call on for an outfit for the prom, Callie ended up wearing a dark blue dress that she knew Arizona appreciated. She seemed to like the slit that peaked just above her knee anyway. And it was the only option she had on such short notice.

It was a mystery how the blonde had managed to get her a flower in the same time span, though. But when she turned the corner at the base of the stairs to see how Alex was doing with Sofia's dinner in the kitchen, she was greeted with a white rose and a cheeky grin from her wife.

Alex just faked gagging from the table where he was endeavoring to get Sofia to eat. "How do you guys do this? Sof, don't you want to eat for Uncle Alex?"

"Unk!" the little girl agreed loudly, making him wince and jerk his head back. She just giggled at his reaction to her volume.

"She does alright now if you just let her chase it around her tray," Arizona told him, amused. He promptly upended her little plate on the tray of her highchair and gave her the small plastic fork. Sofia's first move was to scoop up a noodle from her macaroni. It didn't make it to her mouth, just rolled down her bib where she fumbled and found it with her other hand and stuffed it into her mouth, grinning proudly at Alex at her success.

"But she's not going to be happy when we leave," warned Callie, tousling her baby's hair lovingly as she sniffed lightly at her rose. Arizona Robbins was an amazing woman.

Alex groaned, which just made Sofia laugh harder. "You got any advice so maybe she doesn't scream her head off all night? How long are you guys going to stay at the hospital prom anyway?" He was clearly hoping that they would call it an early night at such a lame work event.

"It's a night out, Karev, and we're adults with a baby," Arizona reminded him. "We're staying out as late as we want."

Callie rolled her eyes, winking at the younger man. "Don't listen to her. She can't stand to miss Sofia's bedtime. We'll be home by ten at the latest," she laughingly promised, kissing Arizona's pouty lips. "Don't worry, I think it's adorable that you're such a dorky mom."

Scoffing, Arizona mirrored her wife's eye roll. "Yeah, because _that's_ sexy…" Arching an eyebrow at her, Callie just looked curious. "It's prom night, Calliope," the blonde said as though it should be obvious. Callie's smile was promising and she couldn't hold back her own smirk. "And Sof sleeps through the night now…"

There was a disturbance at the table as Alex cleared his throat loudly, blinking when one of Sofia's noodles hit his forehead and stuck. Neither of the women could stop themselves from laughing when he turned to look at them. "Yeah, I'll be going to Joe's after you get home," he declared, sighing heavily when the macaroni dropped onto his shirt.

Still laughing helplessly, Arizona leaned over to kiss Sofia's cheek and unintentionally gave Alex a perfect eye line at the generous cleavage presented by her dress. "Good night, sweetheart," the blonde cooed. "Your mommies love you. Behave for Uncle Alex."

"Not too much though, baby girl," Callie countered coolly, swatting her wife's protégé sharply on the back of the head. "Stop looking… now," she ordered, voice firm and not to be disobeyed.

Karev jumped, guilty. "Sorry! I can't help it! They're good boobs!"

Realizing what had just happened, Arizona leaned back up, one hand holding the top of her dress to her chest. "Nice, Alex!" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he yelped again, protectively covering his head when Callie moved around him. His efforts to avoid even glancing in the direction of Callie's breasts unintentionally landed his gaze on her ass.

Arizona crossed her arms pointedly and just stared, expression stern. "Stop looking… now," ordered the blonde after a moment, smirking only after her protégé slapped both hands over his eyes for good measure.

"Sorry! It's a nice-"

"Hey!" Callie cut in loudly before he said any words Sofia shouldn't know. For emphasis, she gave him another swat to the head. "We're going now," she declared sternly. "Sofia, you do anything you want to, my angel!"

Arizona just laughed as the Latina pulled her out of the kitchen by the arm, Sofia distracted from her parents' departure by what she thought was her uncle playing a game with her.

The prom was in full swing when they arrived, the lobby looking completely different with dim lighting and black and silver balloons all over. "Oh, we're going to need drinks," Callie muttered as they entered, one hand on Arizona's back to escort her in. For a bridesmaid's dress, it has a startlingly low back to be considered wedding appropriate. She appreciated the opportunity to stroke fingertips lightly across smooth skin, though.

"Do you think the hospital prom is going to have spiked punch?" asked Arizona with a laugh, biting her lip at the seemingly unconscious contact up and down her spine.

"If it doesn't yet, it will," Callie said with a laugh, smirking when Arizona sent her a look over her shoulder. "What?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Isn't this technically a prom for children, Calliope? What would you do if someone spiked the drinks at _our_ daughter's prom?" Callie immediately scowled at the thought of someone getting their little girl drunk. "Exactly," Arizona declared knowingly, kissing her softly on the cheek. It was almost unbelievable how much she adored Callie's 'Mama Bear' persona.

"Can we be the lame parents who chaperone the prom and keep drunk assholes away from our baby?" requested Callie, almost pouting. She prided herself on being a badass, but her reputation was nothing compared to her daughter's virtue.

Arizona smiled, trying not to laugh, and patted her gently on the top of the chest. "We've got seventeen years before Sofia's going to prom, babe. And she's going to be on her best behavior, I'm sure."

Callie sent her an incredulous look. "You're serious?" she asked after a few seconds, the two of them moving easily through the crowd of their coworkers. Was there seriously nothing to eat but finger sandwiches? These interns sucked at party planning. They were going to have to get some food on the way home, there hadn't been time earlier. "You're telling me that you didn't hook up with someone after prom? A little hottie like you?" She knew her wife better than that, even if Arizona would have been under _the_ Colonel's roof at the time.

The blonde didn't respond immediately, just scooped up two plastic cups of punch and drank hers down swiftly. "It's not spiked. Is that good news or bad news?" She hadn't gone to her own prom, told herself she didn't want to. Tim had snuck her off base with him and they'd indulged in a bit of teenage rebellion in the form of joyriding and her first introduction to cigarettes.

Understanding, Callie slid both arms around her waist, leaning in to kiss her neck. "Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm happy you were behaving yourself. It makes me hope that Sofia takes after her Mama." She nuzzled into her jaw, careful not to jostle her drink and spill punch on Arizona's dress. "You know that I would love nothing more than for her to turn out just like you. And we have seventeen years to raise Sofia to be mature and responsible and honest and all of those thousand reasons that I'm in love with you."

Arizona surprised her by laughing. "You love me because I'm mature and responsible? Yeah, that's _so_ hot. We are at the _prom_ and you're giving me mature and responsible? It's possible you're forgetting how we met, lover. And for the record, the night of my prom Tim and I snuck off the base in our mother's stolen car and he taught me how to smoke a cigarette and not look like an idiot," Callie's eyes narrowed as she was speaking and Arizona grinned cheekily, "That's what I thought. Still want Sofia to take after me?"

"Absolutely yes," answered the brunette without the slightest hint of hesitation. She stole a soft kiss. "Maybe we'll just make sure Tim's elsewhere the night of her prom." Arizona laughed happily. "I bet he'd be a pretty intimidating chaperone himself, though."

Blonde eyebrows rose, Arizona still chuckling. "I think you're underestimating your own intimidation potential, Calliope."

Callie looked pleased by that declaration. "Really? Awesome."

Arizona's laughter rose in volume again. "Now, I love our baby girl, but we're having a grownup night out and I happen to think that you're coasting, counting on the prom to get you sex. I'll have you know I am not that kind of girl, Calliope Torres."

"In spite of how we met?" Callie teased. One hand slid to her hip and squeezed, making her jump. "You want me to bring it? I'll bring it, Arizona," she promised, growling the words breathily against her skin and sending a rush of sensation down her spine. "You are the hottest woman in this hospital. And I'm not just talking about tonight when everyone's dressed up. I'm talking about every single day when we're running around in scrubs and don't have time to brush our hair." The Latina shimmied her body against her wife's back, draining her punch so she could slide both hands across Arizona's hips. "Can I have a dance with the most beautiful girl at the prom?"

The blonde smiled and turned to face her, looping both arms over her shoulders. "I would love that," she agreed fondly, thankful that her heels put her at the perfect height to lean in and kiss full lips softly. "Thank you for coming to this tonight when the alternative was fancy French food."

Callie just smiled as they swayed to the soft music. "Fancy French food isn't going anywhere. And who wouldn't want to go to their work's prom with their fantastically gorgeous wife?"

Blue eyes rolled, lips quirking in a smirk. "Thank you, suck up…"

"Someone accused me of coasting," Callie countered, smirking back at her. Both arms pulled Arizona against her, no space between them. "I've got to step it up if I want to be the person getting you out of this dress after prom, right?"

Laughing, Arizona threw her head back. There was nothing wrong with that argument. And they both knew that no one else stood a chance of getting her out of this dress, but it was still fun to flirt. "Who said it wouldn't be until _after_ the prom?" questioned the blonde teasingly. There was no rule against drastically upping the flirting either. They were happily married with a child but that didn't mean they couldn't be entirely hot for each other too.

And they were.

"Oh _fuck_…" Callie's head dropped into Arizona's neck, her breathing noticeably heavy.

Lacing her fingers through dark waves, Arizona enjoyed the side to side shimmy of their close pressed bodies. "That's the idea…" Callie moaned against her neck, fingers tightening on the dress at Arizona's hips. This woman was unbelievable. Arizona turned her face into her partner's ear, dragging her lips against the soft lobe of her ear. "There're some exam rooms right down the hall…" she whispered promisingly. They were moms, hot moms, and their baby was at home. Except for the complete lack of professionalism, there was nothing wrong with hooking up in the hospital where they worked, was there?

"You're not serious?" Callie immediately questioned, dragging herself away from the tempting lips on her skin that would only lead to them getting caught. "Arizona, we're at work!" Even as it came out of her mouth, she hated herself for having to say it. But she really liked them both having jobs, to say nothing of having jobs at the same hospital, and she liked their house and wanted to be able to send Sofia to any college she wanted.

"We're at the work _prom_! That is not the same thing!" protested the blonde, though she let Callie spin her, giving them both a break from all the full-body contact.

Callie shook her head, catching Arizona front to back and wrapping both arms around her. "Let's just dance," she coaxed, kissing swiftly behind her wife's ear.

Pressing her ass backwards into Callie's front, Arizona smirked as the grip on her hips suddenly tightened. "Because that's supposed to help, Calliope?" she asked, teasing now. Turning the tables on her infinitely enticing partner was always fun.

"We're not going to any after party at Joe's," Callie promised, her voice low and growling against pale skin. "And there's no chance we won't make it home for Sofia's bedtime but not because you need to see her fall asleep."

"That's all I ask," said Arizona smugly, not stopping her teasing grinding until Callie was forced to spin her around to keep her sanity and self control. "But you have to admit that Sof is super cute when she's all sleepy and yawning."

Well, that was undeniably true but that wasn't the most pressing reason Callie was already eager to get home. The most pressing reason she wanted to get home was the thin strip of fabric she could feel under Arizona's garnet dress. There was underwear there, but she knew without seeing that there wasn't much.

Building anticipation was fun too though. And they both enjoyed that fun, dancing close, laughing and innocently teasing each other (mostly innocent, at least) the whole night, even as they crossed the parking lot to their car.

It was decidedly less innocent when Callie reached deliberately across the car and triggered the seat control between Arizona's legs, the motor buzzing as the seat backed away from the steering wheel. "What are you doing?" the blonde asked, glancing down at the arm disappearing beneath her skirt.

"Well, I wanted to kiss my wife, but she's a control freak and has to drive all the time, so I have to move her seat back," explained Callie as though it should be obvious. "Otherwise my ass will honk the horn and we'll get busted." She smirked as she flipped a leg across and settled herself on Arizona's lap. And the slit in her dress had never been more appreciated. Ever.

Arizona swallowed hard, wondering why she'd drank all that punch if her throat could still go dry so quickly. "Yeah, um, that would be bad," she agreed hoarsely. "That would be really bad." Callie just nodded, sliding both hands over the tops of the blonde's shoulders and leaning in. "Really, really bad," whispered Arizona, meeting her lips slowly.

The kiss stayed slow for only a few seconds, Callie sucking on a full lower lip and moaning, both hands sliding across Arizona's jaw and into her hair. Her wife's blonde locks were soft and smooth. And offered really good control over angles of the kiss.

Unfortunately, even without accidentally honking the horn, they were still discovered and interrupted, Miranda Bailey knocking sharply on the driver's side window. Both gasping as the kiss broke, Arizona leaned back to be able to see, flushed with embarrassment and arousal. A fumbling finger found the window control and it slid down smoothly. "Good evening, Miranda," Callie greeted her, sounding a bit embarrassed herself. Though not nearly as much as she should if anyone had asked Arizona.

The short surgeon just sniffed but there was a hint of a smile teasing her lips. "How about we move this tail wagging on home?" she suggested. "One of these fine, upstanding young people doesn't know how to park and I'm blocked in."

Turning her head, Callie could see it was true, Bailey's sedan blocked on one side by a incorrectly parked SUV and on the other side by their car in its space. "Oh, right, sure, Bailey," she agreed, awkwardly scrambling back into her own seat and chewing on her lip as they all waited impatiently for Arizona's seat to move back into its usual position. It was only a few seconds really, but it felt like a small eternity.

Bailey walked away in a click of heels as Arizona started their car, both of them flushed and ducked into their seats. Neither made a sound until Callie laughed unexpectedly, shrugging when Arizona shot her a look across the car. "I'm glad you find this funny," the blonde said, rolling her eyes. "Because Miranda _Bailey_ just caught us making out in our car like…"

"Teenagers at a prom?" Callie suggested, reaching one hand across the car to stroke through long blonde hair. "I can't help it my date was the most beautiful woman there. And we're spending the night together."

"Because we're married," Arizona reminded her, though she was smiling. And they had a child, and a house, and they were mature, professional surgeons. But Calliope Torres was still the woman she'd met in that bar years ago too - funny and smart and charming, confident, positively the most gorgeous woman she'd ever seen. And getting to know her past that first night together was the best choice she'd ever made in her life. Because everything she'd learned about her had only made her love her more. And every day with Callie made her sure that everything they'd been through and everything else they'd go through in the future was already worth it.

"You know," said Arizona slowly, breaking the momentary quiet. "Maybe we _should_ stop at Joe's, get a drink," she suggested.

Callie's eyebrow rose, a smirk on the corner of her mouth. "What about Sofia's bedtime?" she teased lightly.

Arizona leaned over swiftly and kissed her, leaving no doubts about her intentions. "Just a quick drink," she emphasized and her grin was dimpled. "I don't think I'll need so much tequila this time to get you to go home with me."

* * *

><p>Well - that's the end, folks... thanks for sticking it out with me! Epilogue will be up in a few days...<p> 


	84. Epilogue  I Can be Your Hero, Baby

A flash of red was all Arizona Robbins saw as her three year old daughter charged through the front door and straight past her. "Hey, no running in the house!" she called after the little girl. "What's got ants in her pants?" she asked Callie as her wife joined her.

Callie took a quick kiss in greeting, shrugging her shoulders. "She won't say anything but that she needs to see Tim. I guess she made him something at preschool."

"Mami! Yo neccicito use the phone!" Sofia called loudly from the kitchen in her adorably mixed Spanish and English.

"That's not how we ask for things, Sofia Michelle," Callie reminded her.

"Por favor!" Sofia added quickly, rushing back with Arizona's cell phone in her hand and her red bundle still wadded under her arm. "Mama, please! Uncle Tim!"

Obliging her with a smile, the blonde unlocked the phone and dialed her brother. "Hello?" Tim's greeting was almost drowned out by crying babies in the background, Tim's twin sons apparently both awake.

"Sorry, brother. Did I wake them up?"

"Nah, they just do not want to go down for naps today. What's up?"

"Sof wants to talk to you," Arizona told him, holding up one finger when her daughter gestured impatiently for the phone. "And your cousins are sleepy, so don't keep Uncle T on the phone too long, okay, sweetheart?"

Sofia nodded obediently and took the phone, dashing away with it cradled to her ear, and already chattering eagerly. Her parents watched her go with an exchanged glance and Callie smirked. "She's like you were at that age. It's awesome," she declared with a happy sigh, jumping when Arizona pinched her butt.

"Shut up. You don't know that!"

"I do know that," Callie said confidently. Her proud, happy grin was infectious. "You know it too." She slung an arm around her wife's shoulders and they watched their little girl pace back and forth with the phone in the hall. She spun on her heel for the next turn and Callie pointed gleefully. "You do that _now_!" she said triumphantly.

Sofia ran back with the phone, shoving it into Arizona's hand and dashing away again. "Unk T and Aunt T are coming over for supper!" she called over her shoulder. "I gotta go get ready!"

Exchanging looks with Callie, Arizona lifted the phone to her ear quickly. "Hey, Tim, you still there?" No answer. "I guess they're coming over tonight," she informed Callie with a shrug. "Do we have food?"

Callie laughed, hearing loud, three-year-old footsteps on the floor above them. "Did you go to the store?"

Arizona sighed, thumb swiping the screen of her phone. "I'll call for pizza. I mean, we have enough for us, but I wasn't expecting company…"

"Baby, it's okay. I wasn't accusing you of stranding us with no groceries," Callie assured her with another laugh, catching the phone before it could reach the blonde's ear. "You haven't had a day off in weeks," she rubbed her wife's back, touch sliding down to pat her butt affectionately, "and I wouldn't care if you'd spent the day on the couch watching bad TV." It was obvious from the state of their living room, neat and clean and orderly in a way that it rarely was anymore, that that wasn't what Arizona had done with her day off. The scent of cleaner was still wafting down the hall from the kitchen. "Just please tell me you used a mop in the kitchen and didn't do crazy Marine cleaning in there on your hands and knees," Callie requested. Arizona chewed on her lip and didn't say anything. "Honey…"

"It works better than the mop!" Arizona protest sheepishly.

Callie kissed the side of her face, squeezing her ass again. "But I think the only thing you should be on your knees for is me," she teased, arching an eyebrow that made Arizona bite her lip for an entirely different reason. "And I got us a really good mop. Remember? You gave me a hard time about it being a sexist present, even if we're both women…"

Giggling, Arizona wrinkled her nose. "I don't remember that, Calliope," she played. "I'm sure you heard wrong. If I was calling you anything, it was _sexy_, not sexist…"

"Mmhmm," Callie hummed, narrowing her eyes and patting her hip again. "Don't worry about dinner, okay? I'll go pick up some Italian. Teddy likes the place we normally get, doesn't she?" Arizona nodded. "Great. Then I will be back soon. You and Sof try not to kill each other, okay?" she teased. Their daughter was really her mother's daughter, in every way, and Callie couldn't adore it more. But the pair could (had in the past and definitely would again in the future) get into some pretty creative trouble when they were left to their own devices. "And no Heelies…"

"In the house, I know," Arizona finished with a pair of rolling eyes, pouting for good measure. Callie kissed her protruding lower lip quickly to soften the reminder. "But, Calliope, you just got home…"

"And you spent your day off cleaning," Callie countered. "So I at _least_ owe you some errands, _probably_ some sex, because you know how much I hate folding the laundry." Arizona blinked, smile growing swiftly. "That's what I thought," Callie declared, kissing her one more time, just because she could. "Will you call in the order so it'll be ready when I get there?" Arizona nodded, already searching her contact list.

Tim and Teddy were gracious about coming over to takeout, the twins only starting to wake up from their naps when they arrived. Even sleepy though, they were glad to see their aunts, Callie and Arizona each taking one while Sofia finished whatever preparations she'd been making in her room.

When she clattered down the stairs, she blew past her parents with her cousins, flying straight to her uncle. He swooped her up and flew her through the air, the little girl over his shoulder. "You came!"

"I told you I would," he answered her with a laugh, putting her down.

"I made you something!"

"That's what I heard," Tim said as he tousled her hair. "Let's eat first and then you can show me what it is, alright?"

Teddy pretended to pout as Sofia bolted to the kitchen, dragging Tim along by the hand. "How come Uncle T's the only one to get a present anyway?"

Sofia shot her a look over her shoulder that was Arizona to perfection. "You know I love you, Aunt Teddy!"

"But you didn't make me anything at school," the heart surgeon argued lightly. "And I didn't even get a hug." Abandoning Tim in the doorway, Sofia dashed back to throw both arms around Teddy's waist and squeeze her tightly. "Mmh, that's a good hug," Teddy said, sending her husband a superior look. "Now no matter what you got, I got the best hug."

"Aunt T, don't fight," Sofia requested with a long-suffering sigh that made Callie grin and send a superior look at her own spouse, Arizona's cheeks flushing even as she pointedly avoided looking at Callie. "Sit next to me," she practically ordered, Callie barely restraining her laughter while Arizona's cheeks burned behind her.

"Your aunt needs to sit next to the high chairs, remember?" Arizona noted, cradling her squirmy nephew in one arm and patting her passing daughter's head with the free hand. "And Teddy, I can feed this little guy if you want to get the food while it's still hot."

Her friend didn't even argue, finding a pair of baby food jars in the diaper bag still over her shoulder and shoving them into Arizona's grip. "Have fun."

They actually got the twins fed and settled before Sofia couldn't contain her bouncy energy any longer and, having already devoured her own meal, ran from the table to get her uncle's gift from her room.

Tim had been relaxing in his chair and suddenly straightened, rubbing both hands over the tops of his thighs. "Do you guys know what it is?" he asked almost nervously. They just shrugged and he nodded, eyes moving around the room as he tried to think of possibilities.

"Oh, get that look off of your face," ordered Arizona, pointing sharply at him. Tim just exchanged looks with Callie. "You used to have the same expression on when Dad would get close to finding our cigarettes," she reminded him. "This is my little girl, Tim. She's not Dad."

"She's a little like a mini-Colonel," he argued. "But in a very cute way."

"She's like you," Callie cut in before the siblings' bickering could escalate. "And it's awesome," she declared, kissing her wife's cheek and shooting a look at her brother-in-law as their daughter pounded back down the stairs.

Throwing herself into Tim's lap, Sofia set about unrolling her present with a flourish. Tim shrugged from behind her, not sure what it was. When no one said anything, Sofia jumped down again and ran a quick lap of the kitchen, the red fabric blowing out behind her and making it clear what she'd made.

"A cape? You made me a cape?" Tim asked, clearly pleased.

"You made him a cape?" echoed Arizona, her own surprise clear. She wasn't jealous of Sofia's relationship with her brother, she was grateful for it really, glad that her little girl had a strong, honorable man in her life to look up to. She couldn't say that it didn't sting a bit that Tim was apparently Sofia's superhero, though.

Hearing the tone in her partner's voice, Callie's hand slid over the top of her thigh under the table. "It's sweet, Sofia. Did everyone in your class make capes?"

"No, Mami. The teacher said to make something for our hero." She beamed proudly at her uncle. "And Uncle T was in the Army…"

"Marines," Tim and Arizona chorused in unison to correct her over the sound of Teddy coughing to try and drown them out.

"And he has the robot leg you gave him…" Sofia continued despite them. She loved the idea that her uncle had a metal leg and was sad that she couldn't see it. Mami had shown her the x-rays though, which were pretty cool, even if Mama said she was too little to look. "Try it on!"

Tim stood up and tied his new accessory around his neck, shaking it out behind him. It hung barely below his belt in the back but he just grinned, pleased with it. Crouching, he hugged Sofia. "Thank you. I love it."

"Fly me!" she requested eagerly, squealing as he scooped her over his shoulder and rushed into the backyard.

"Do you ever wonder if we have two kids?" Callie asked, laughing as Teddy followed them outside.

Arizona didn't speak, chin dropping to her chest as she looked down at herself. No one knew they were trying to get pregnant again. And not even Callie knew that she's lost her last three dinners to nausea.

"Oh, sweetheart, I didn't mean it like that," Callie said when Arizona didn't answer. "Hey," she said, patting the top of her wife's leg. "You know who's my hero?" she asked softly. Blue eyes met brown, a smile quirking Arizona's lips. "I think you do know…"

"Calliope…" She couldn't keep it in anymore, couldn't even really remember why she hadn't said anything yet. Callie was patient and supportive and loved her. And they knew how this worked, they'd done this before and it wasn't always quick or simple. But it had been six months and she was more or less terrified that she wasn't going to be able to do this for her wife. Callie had offered to carry their next child, but she'd insisted - it was simpler, and somewhere in the midst of watching Callie carry Sofia, she'd had a crazy thought that maybe that was something she could do.

"I'm going to say it anyway," Callie decided, smiling and leaning into Arizona's neck. "You are my hero." She said it simply, calmly. "You do so many amazing things for me, you know that?"

"Calliope…" Arizona said again, feeling her stomach rolling. Typical. And right when she was getting her nerve up to actually share her possible news. "I…" She wasn't going to make it. She felt bad about shoving Callie's arm off her shoulders and bolting, but it was either that or puke on the floor.

Callie was on her feet and on her wife's heels a second later, following her into the small hall bathroom and watching in anxious confusion as Arizona heaved into the toilet. Getting her wits back, Callie moved forward and pulled her wife's hair back gently, rubbing her back with her other hand. "Was it the pasta? Because I thought my alfredo tasted kind of funny…"

"I had the scampi," Arizona reminded her between coughs, Callie's hand rubbing her back soothingly. "That's not what this is," she gasped. One hand braced against the floor, the other one sneaking down to cover her stomach. "I think I might need to tell you something…"

Realizing what was going on, Callie's eyes went wide. "_What_? Honey, how long - this isn't the first time you've been sick, is it? Why didn't you tell _me_?" It was too close to how she'd reacted when Callie had gone into labor and Arizona smiled, wiping her mouth. Callie's hand slid across her stomach and she leaned into her neck, breathing deeply. "Is it always at night?"

"So far," Arizona acknowledged, feeling her stomach still rolling. Callie's morning sickness had always been quick purges without lingering sick feelings. Her own wasn't being so kind four days in.

Callie rubbed her stomach soothingly, closing her eyes and coaxing Arizona's head backward onto her shoulder. "How long?"

"This is the fourth day."

"How have I not noticed this?" asked Callie. "We sleep together - same room, same bed."

Arizona smiled, leaning her head up to kiss under her jaw. "You've been tired, all the work with your clinical trial."

"And you didn't think I would want to know about this, that I wouldn't give up sleep to hold your hair back?" Callie questioned, smiling down at her.

Arizona's answer was delayed by another round of purging, Callie moving with her to do what she'd said, holding blonde hair out of the way. When it had passed for the moment, Arizona slumped back into her. "I was scared. I'm still scared. Scared all the time that maybe tomorrow I won't get sick like this."

Squeezing her eyes closed, Callie hugged her closer. "Oh Arizona, you know…" She had to stop, swallow a hard lump in her chest. "If it happens, don't you think I would want to hold you through that too?" Her voice was soft, breath tickling the back of Arizona's neck.

"Calliope…" Callie would hold her through anything, she knew that. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad, sweetheart," Callie cut her off gently. "And we don't know anything yet. Do we? Have you taken a test yet?" Fingers combed through soft blonde hair.

Arizona shook her head meekly. "No." She'd been too anxious about the results to even think about it.

"Okay, well we can go to the pharmacy tonight while Tim and Teddy are here to watch Sofia, or we can get a blood test at work tomorrow," Callie stated their options, Arizona pulling out of her arms again to dry heave. She had no food left in her but the nausea couldn't be denied.

"I think I need to lay down," Arizona said when she could speak, feeling completely miserable. "Preferably on you if that's okay."

Callie smiled against her hair. "Of course," she murmured. "Let's get you upstairs and I'll tell T and T that you don't feel good, see if they can stay until the munchkin is asleep."

"You don't have to do that," Arizona protested even as she let Callie pull her arm around her own shoulders, guiding her slowly and gingerly to her feet.

"You just shut up and let me take care of you," Callie instructed, flushing the toilet and steering her partner out of the bathroom and down the hall one slow step at a time. "Just breathe," she coaxed on the stairs, keeping her arm around Arizona's middle. "We're almost there, just step over…" Arizona hissed sharply as her toes hit the hard corner of Sofia's fire truck in the floor. "Sorry, baby."

Flopping onto her front on the bed, Arizona crawled into the middle of the space and dragged a pillow into her arms, curling herself into as small a ball around it as she could manage. "Ugh, this is your fault, Calliope."

Callie just planted one knee on the edge of the bed and leaned over to kiss her cheek with a smack. "I hope it is," she agreed happily. "I'm sorry you don't feel good though."

"Because _your _kid hates Italian," Arizona whined, rocking into her pillow. "Mngh, Calliope, you promised I could lay on you," she reminded her. "Tell Sofia that I love her though! And tell Teddy to take the leftovers when they go. I don't think I can look at them."

Callie's hand ran down her arm and across her back tenderly. "Okay, sweetie. Give me one minute and I'll be back to be your pillow," she promised.

It was longer than a minute, but still not too long before Callie was back and sliding onto the mattress behind her, pulling her into her arms. "What happened?" mumbled Arizona, cuddling closer and wrapping herself around her wife. Callie was a much better pillow than her pillow.

"Sofia's going to have a spend-the-night with her favorite aunt and uncle," Callie answered her, stroking her hair again. "Do you feel better at all?"

"Getting there," Arizona murmured, nestling her head into Callie's shoulder. "It normally takes a little while for the nausea to go away."

Callie hummed, the sound relaxing her partner. "I wish you would have woken me up. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get. I'd rather be with you anyway."

"Keep humming," Arizona requested tiredly. "I'll wake you up tomorrow night, I promise." Obediently, Callie sang softly, Arizona's breathing growing steady and slow against her collarbone. She would have sworn her partner was asleep when she spoke again, voice sleepy and soft, "My dad was my hero growing up…"

Callie waited for more, murmuring, "I can understand why. The Colonel is a heroic kind of guy."

"And I can understand why Sofia looks up to Tim. Really, I can. Hell, you know I look up to him too. He's my big brother. And he's actually kind of superhero-y…"

"Baby," Callie sighed, turning her head in to kiss blonde hair. "Sofia adores you. Almost as much as I do." She shifted down to kiss her temple. "Do you want a cape? I will make you a cape. Because you are my hero, Arizona Robbins. Not your dad, and not your brother, you are."

A heavy breath answered her. "Not if I…"

She was cut off by Callie's hand over her mouth. "You - Arizona, no matter what, having our baby or not, you're the one. Anything one person can be for another person that's awesome, you are it for me. You're my hero, the mother of my beautiful child, you're the love of my life." She found Arizona's eyes over her hand. "Do you understand me?"

Moving her hand allowed Arizona to agree, "Yes ma'am." She pulled Callie's hand back to her lips, kissing her palm. "I'm in love with you," she whispered. Callie rubbed her shoulders when she coughed, the blonde clenching her teeth and riding out the next wave of nausea. "Thanks," she breathed, hoarse from coughing.

"Anytime, babe," Callie promised. "Absolutely anytime."

Arizona smiled, dimples popping. "I already promised I will wake you up next time. Serves you right for knocking me up." Callie's own smile couldn't be contained at the reminder. Arizona might be pregnant. Or she might have some ongoing food poisoning, which would suck. "You're a good pillow," sighed Arizona, nestling closer and closing her eyes.

"How's your tummy? Feeling better?" checked Callie considerately, rubbing her wife's stomach.

"Every minute," Arizona answered. "But I don't want to move if you're okay."

"I'm okay." Her hand moved in circles across front and back.

"My hero," murmured Arizona, settling comfortably against her.

* * *

><p>So, this is it. I hope you guys have had some fun with this... And if you haven't that's too bad for you, I guess, because I've had a great time!<p> 


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